Pure of Heart
by Saphireanime
Summary: She healed him because he was hurt and she had the power to help, paying no heed to the fact he was a Taiyoukai. facinated by her selflessness he found himself desiring her pure soul that called to his tainted one. *Possessive Sesshoumaru* rating will up
1. Chapter 1

**Pure of Heart**

**Here we go, chapter one of my new story! This is a Sess/Kag fic. It is meant to be cute, but serious issues and M content will be touched upon later. For now, it is just T for violence and possessive feelings, it may go up.**

**Please read and review.**

**Standard disclaimer here – I do not own anything but this plot. I can't be bothered to put it at the beginning of every chapter, so, here it is.**

**Chapter 1 – Weak little girl**

It was final and absolute. 10 year old Kagome Higurashi was hopelessly lost. This was the third time it had happened to her this month, but it was worse than those other times. It was the evening and starting to get dark, and she was cold and hungry and a little tired now. She had no idea where she was or what direction to go in.

She tried to keep her head in matters of such emergency and hopelessly failed. The other times someone had found her and brought her home, it was very late by that time, but she found her way back. Now, here she was, lost yet again, and as much as she tried to excuse herself, she had no one but herself to blame.

It was not, however, the young child who was blamed whenever she could not be found. No, it was her older siblings who got the stick, her big sister Kikyou and big brother Souta. She just hated being led around and looked over like some helpless puppy with a hurt paw. She knew she was tiny even for her age and had been ill so much sometimes she could not even stand by herself, but her family wasn't helping.

They should not be hiding her from the world, but the opposite. Kagome felt almost as if she had been failed by her possessive family. They should be helping her train up to get stronger and more muscled like her friends and siblings. They should be teaching her archery like Kikyou, or swordsmanship like Souta. But no, they kept her hidden away and wrapped in cotton wool, afraid their little princess will break a nail.

Hence, all she could do was study as much as she could. She taught herself how to read after learning the basics from her parents. She stole books from her siblings' and parents' rooms and even from other peoples' houses, friends of the family, or simply acquaintances, it did not matter to her. But she almost made sure to sneak them back to where they came from, she liked to learn, but she was not a thief.

She taught herself hand to hand combat, although she was hopeless at it, and not strong enough to throw even one decent punch. She begged the elder of the village, Keade, to whom she had formed a great friendship to teach her all she knew about history, what little science and maths she knew. Keade was not a noblewoman so was not educated well; many did not care about her knowledge either, deeming it unnecessary, so she took great joy in teaching the neglected little girl all she wanted to know.

By the time Kagome was 10, she was always around the old miko's house, learning about and helping her with the work she had to so. She was mixing herbs for medicines and salves for injuries and how to treat different illnesses. She ran errands for the old woman such as picking plants from the nearby woods and collecting water and vowed to become her apprentice in five years time when she was old enough to train properly.

Even though she was weak, she wanted to prove she could be worth something to the village and become a healer. It was while she was with the old woman that she made the most exciting and frightening discovery of her life, she had holy powers. Kagome Higurashi at ten years old was a miko with strength at her young age that rivalled Keade's own.

Kagome, scared of her overprotective family, begged the old woman not to tell them or anyone else from the village, frightened of what it might mean happen to her. She complied but then started a whole new training session for the young girl. She learnt all she could from Keade about miko powers, what they were used for and how to control them. Having such power at such a young age, meant that by the time she was fully grown she might even be strong enough as the legendary Midoriko.

Honouring her dreams of becoming a healer, Keade taught her how to lend power to another to replenish strength, how to draw power from another, and from animals, even plants. She was taught how to heal minor injuries and illnesses. She also learnt how to replenish blood and knit together organs which had been severed. She had done this to little animals her cat Buyo brought to her always only half dead, it always worked.

She had never tried on a human before, and probably would not until she was 15 and able to become Keade's apprentice. The old woman did not know her young charge was learning behind her back and would have been proud, but Kagome had always been scared of being restricted as her parents always did to her.

It was while she was walking through the forest with hr medical kit to gather some herbs for a recipe she had made herself to treat injuries that it happened. She knew the plants needed were deep in the forest but figured that if she walked in a straight line and marked trees with a small knife she had brought with her, everything would have been fine. How naive she had been, she had taken too many turns so the marks on the trees meant nothing, and she could barely see them seeming as it was so dark anyway.

Kagome did not curse as a rule, but now she was swearing at herself repeatedly for being so stupid. She knew she should have insisted Sango and or Miroku went with her. They were her two best friends, and never asked questions, and never relayed traitorous information back to her overbearing family. Even taking Eirie, Yuuka or Hojo would have been better than going on this mission all by herself.

She wished for anyone to comfort her now she was cold, wet and miserable, even though she had found the plants she was looking for. She wished for anything, Buyo her cat, or Kirara, Sango's pet, who was more like a bodyguard really.

Sango was a training demon slayer; she was five years older than her and therefore old enough to become an apprentice – just. She was learning under her father, and although she had just started training a couple of months ago, she was by far one of the best demon slayers of the land. Because of this, Kirara, the fire cat of her village chose her as her mistress.

She and Kagome had met via Kohaku, a young boy who was a year younger than Kagome. He had gotten lost like she had and had met halfway between her village and his. He as the boy and the bigger and stronger of the two had taken her back to his village. He had found the way out of duty because he had a young girl to protect. Apparently, Kohaku had always had a crush on her, that's what Souta and Hojo sad whenever they saw him anyway. Kagome did not know whether this was true, and neither did she care, Kohaku was a great friend and she was not going to spoil that relationship.

Ahh... Hojo, a boy of thirteen, big for his age, a friend of Souta's and a babysitter for her. Even though he was but three years older than her – almost four, he looked after her like a big brother, a role Souta was often forbidden by her parents to fill, fearing his enthusiasm and limitless energy may cause her to overexert herself.

The truth was, Souta longed to teach her what she wanted, and Kagome wanted to learn, but she got ill so easily with her weak chest due to birthing complications, her mother and father just forbade it.

Hojo was always nice to her, giving her flowers and comforting her whenever she needed it. A few days ago in fact he had asked her if she would allow him to court her once they were old enough, scared Kohaku had beaten him to it – he had not. Kagome had not given him answer, telling him to ask her again when she was 14 and the right age to get married.

Erie and Yuuka had told her to just go for the boy who liked her, but they were kids like her, aged 9 and 10. They did not know about courting and marriage just yet, and that s what Hojo was after, he liked her in a serious way and she was not ready to embrace such feelings for another herself. She needed to be given time.

The thing that had really spurred Hojo on was the fear that Miroku may have been the one to beat him to it. This was understandable, in all honesty, the first thing Miroku, a 15 year old monk training under his father in the neighbouring village Sango came from said to her when they were introduced was 'will you do me the honour of bearing my children?' A swift blow to the head from her weapon had silenced such requests and she had learnt that he did not mean it; it was something he said to everyone.

She had handled the situation well for an 8 year old, which is what she was at the time and had kicked him where it hurt, leaving him wheezing for an hour. The two became swift friends after that, and Hojo who had been nearby at the time almost passed out. Kagome had a feeling Miroku and Sango would end up together as spouses, but was pretty sure neither of them knew that yet. Miroku, for a boy who was barely an adult was a known lecher, but lately he had been feeling up Sango a lot more than other women.

Kagome kicked a stone that flew into a tree and then cursed the stubbed toe. The only comfort she had at the moment now, lost in the middle of the woods was her toy dog, Inushasta. Why did this sort of thing always happen to her? She was cursing her bad situation; she had been for 10 years now actually. She thought her life sucked, and it was a pretty accurate assumption for the adventure loving girl. She would have cursed her pessimistic outlook on her life later though, if she thought her life sucked now, it was nothing compared to what was about to come.

It was then that she saw it, the thing that would change her life forever, for better in some sense, and for worse for a whole great deal of others. It was a form; the shadowy form of a human not so far in front of her. She almost cried in relief, finally she had found someone who could take her back to the village; there must be search party out for her by now.

She ran towards the form as fast as her tiny tired limbs could carry her and came to a halt a few steps from him, noticing the male figure was lying down. She also noted that he most definitely appeared to be dead. He was covered in blood for head to foot, his once expensive clothing torn and stained red. His eyes were closed and his skin all pale and cold, he was stock still and silent, it was the most frightening thing the young girl had ever seen.

She was overcome with the sensation to scream in terror, waving her hands in the air at seeing such a traumatic gruesome sight at such a young age. She wanted to throw up and empty her bowels, but she had not eaten anything since lunch 8 hours ago. She wanted to burst into tears and do all of the above at the same time.

However, such a surprise sent the girl into a state of severe shock and all she could do was stare at what was before her wide eyed and wide mouthed. The delayed reaction of shock effectively prevented any from being acted out; when the girl shook herself from her stupor she struggled to think strategically.

She had learnt about what to do is a situation like this, now was not the time to lose her head. First look around for danger, or she would end up in a similar predicament and she did not want to end up dead. The man looked like he had been slashed repeatedly and looked strong too, so it must have been a really formidable foe to land him in a pitiful position such as this. If the attacker was still around, she did not stand a chance.

After glancing around the area for possible sadists she came to the correct assumption that she was indeed alone. Right next on the agenda was to check whether or not he was really dead, so first things first, try to get a response out of him. "Hello?" She called hesitantly to his still and silent form – no response. "Excuse me, sir, can you answer me?" With each word she took a cautious baby step towards him, no response.

Once close enough she got down on her knees and with a shaky breath, put her head to his chest to try and detect a heartbeat and breathing. She was elated to find that it was faint, but both were most definitely there. He was not a corpse; he was just unconscious, and very, very badly beaten up, but alive.

With no one to care for him he would probably die though, it really left her with no choice; she was going to nurse this strange man back to health. The 10 year old slipped her medicine satchel off her shoulder and set to work cleaning him up. There was a river nearby where she collected a small bowl of water, and tore off a bit of her kimono to use as a cloth.

Gently she washed away the blood on his face, and then unstrapped his strange spiked armour and took off his haori so she could bathe his chest where the majority of his injuries were. She then mixed together her personal salve out of the rare herbs she had found and applied as much as she could make to the injured stranger. It was enough to treat five village men, but this guy was huge, and his injuries severe, so she coated them with a heavy layer. It would seal the cuts faster, although the blood flow had already stopped and prevent infection.

Kagome did not have many bandages with her, certainly not enough to cover all of the injuries he had. Almost reluctantly, she tore off more lengths of her ripped kimono; making sure to leave herself decently covered, and tied them around the gashes. Thankfully she was wearing many layers due to the cold weather. She then went to the river she had seen nearby and washed his clothing in the cold water.

Now he was all cleaned up she could see him clearly, and by gosh, he was beautiful. His pale skin was flawless and clear, bar strange markings. He had two purple stripes adorning each cheek along with lilac colouring on his eyelids. He also had a blue crescent moon on his forehead which struck her as strange, but it strangely suited him.

What was most alluring and strange about his character was his waist length hair, seeming as he was two metres high at least, that was a long way. It was silver and shone in the moonlight; Kagome fought the urge to run her fingers through it.

She turned her attention to his silk white clothes. She would guess by the material and the appearance that he was a nobleman of sorts. This put her on edge, she did not want to get caught up in all that, she would leave once she was sure he would be fine and be back in her village before he woke up.

It was then the child saw his fluffy boa over one shoulder. It was beautiful, silver like his hair and looked soft and comfortable to the touch. Before she was even aware of her actions, she had taken it up in her hands and wrapped it around her shoulders to chase off the cold. She was chillier now more than ever she had ripped her kimono off for bandages.

She had done as much as any ningen could do for him but it was not enough. He had lost too much blood and his heartbeat was slowing even further, breathing practically nonexistent. There was only one thing left for him she could do. She was tired and cold and hungry and not used to using so much energy when so drained, but if she did not do this he would die and her previous efforts would have gone to waste.

Steeling herself, Kagome reminded herself she was a miko, and she could do this. She had never treated someone other than small woodland animals before, but there was always a first time. She placed her hands over the dressed wounds and sent forth her energy into the foreign body. She focused on replenishing the lost blood, seeming as that is what his main problem was, and forced it to circulate with the remaining substance.

She knew some of his organs were damaged, but she could not heal them for fear of making a mistake. He had cracked ribs though and a broken leg, they were not easy to heal either but she willed the ribs at least to knot themselves back together to prevent further damage to the vital organs within the ribcage.

Filled with adrenaline of healing her patient, Kagome wanted to carry on, but was fit to pass out from over exertion and could not continue. She simply gave him the last of her energy, not doing anything with it, just giving it to him to increase his survival rate.

It was very late by the time she had finished tending to his injuries enough to be satisfied with herself. She was proud of herself for what she had done and pleased it worked, she had saved a life that day, not something everyone could boast about.

She had outdone everyone she knew at 10 years old. She was not some weak little girl, she was a healing miko. With a small smile, willing her patient to live, she collapsed into his fluffy pelt and bandaged chest. Absolutely exhausted she passed out on top of him rather than fell asleep, hoping against hope for all predators to stay away.

She was not a weak little girl. Soon everyone would know that.


	2. amber eyes

**Here is chapter 2 folks. Read and review and enjoy. Oh and by the way – I hate stories where the characters love each other in like five chapters or less, so it may take some time for feelings to form – at least on Kagome's end. But no one can hate a child can they? Can you hate or harm a child Sesshoumaru?**

**Chapter 2 – Amber eyes  
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Kagome opened her midnight blue eyes when the sun was already high in the sky. She judged it must be nearing midday already, and her long sleep did not surprise her. She exhausted her miko powers tending to her patient the evening before she had only done that once before, when helping Keade when she was sick.

She had gone down with an awful fever and Kagome was the only one tending to her because everyone else was afraid of catching it. Her wise family had locked her in her room to prevent her from going to the old woman, well aware that Kagome was infatuated with her and would do anything for her, it had been for her own good, they were just afraid that Kagome would catch the illness too.

She was well looked after by her family, because she was young and smart instead of strong. They thought she was useless, helpless and was not a miko. They loved her dearly and she knew this, but they did not know her. They thought she did not have the guts to climb out of her bedroom window when night fell and go to the old woman.

She had not slept a wink because of the pain in her stomach, but once Kagome appeared, her presence alone seemed to soothe her. It was too late to go and gather water to bring down her temperature, or herbs to fix the old lady a medicine. All that was left for her to do was to use her healing miko powers.

She had not done it with the intensity she had done it with that man of course, this was a year ago. In fact, it was only now she realized what it was that happened. She remembered a blast of light, an outlet of power and then Keade was better. It must have been because Keade was a miko too, and she used the power given to heal herself completely. It was more controlled when she healed the injured man.

She had left it too Keade too carry her back to her room without anyone finding out. That was a cornerstone in their relationship, and was one of the main reasons why Keade agreed to keep their secret about her miko powers a secret. She had been exhausted once she did it, and once she woke up she was... ravenous.

Kagome turned over on the fluff she was currently lying on; it was soft and comfortable and she didn't really want to get up. It still had remnants of blood on it, but it was the start of a new day, maybe she could clean it as the day wore on. Right now though, she needed to have something to eat to replenish her strength.

She would have been quite happy to remain lying there on the white fluff, after all, it was very soft and comfortable and she didn't want to move. What's more, she could feel the heartbeat of her patient against her own chest as she curled up against him, it soothed her. It was stronger than last time, which was no surprise, and Kagome could only assume this is because his blood had been replenished. It was still fainter and slower than a normal heart should be as was his breathing, but maybe that is because he was in a coma.

He was in a stable condition though and should wake in a couple of days, hopefully, more or less recovered. Unfortunately she could not be there for that, she had to try and find her way back to the village, they must be worried out of their minds by now. She wanted to be there for him and make sure he was okay, she was after all, never one to leave a job half finished and it did almost seem as if she was deserting him, leaving while he was still asleep.

However, she reminded herself that she had duties and responsibilities elsewhere. She also had to be in the village and learn from Keade so she could show her family and the whole village she was not some little girl. She had to tell them she was alright and not risk any of them getting hurt by coming to look for her.

She could not exactly tell herself she had to stay and protect this man; she was a defenceless, weak, 10 year old girl. She had no weapon, and her miko powers still needed time to grow back to their full intensity. If a mindless demon came along to attack, she would not be able to save him and herself, though she may escape if she ran.

It was a miracle a demon had not already come along, the scent of so much blood should have attracted them, but she was not going to complain. She had washed his haori and his fur and bandaged his wounds; she could not do much else for him. She would make a fire, collect some food and leave it for him, check his wounds and maybe give him a bath, his was unconscious after all, he wouldn't know.

As much as she enjoyed snuggling into the fur and petting it lightly while he wasn't awake to stop her, lying there was not going to get anything done. She had things she needed to do and had to try to get back to the village, this time, before dark, she had no idea which direction to go in, but she'd work it out.

She was very hungry and she had to collect enough food to feed him too, if she had just woken up after being in a coma for several days she would be very hungry, and the last thing she'd want to do was go out and get food. For a moment she wondered about what he'd like to eat, it was not as if she could ask him, but she put herself in the same situation again to help her answer, something she had been taught to do by Keade when she'd first met her.

If she had just woken up from a coma there would be lots of things going round her mind. Food would be a high priority, but she wouldn't be picky about what she was given to eat, as long as she got some food. On the menu today then was going to be mushrooms, berries, roots and if she was lucky – fish. Souta had taught her how to catch fish a couple years ago; it was all about silence, patience and then speed.

She wanted to check his wounds and re-bandage them, but she could not do that because she did not have any more bandages, all she had were the strips she had torn from her kimono and she could not strip anymore off. She could tear some cloth from his clothes, but they looked high quality and regal, probably hard to tear, and if she did, well, you couldn't get clothes like that anywhere... her kimono would have to do for now.

Next on the list was to get some firewood. They were essential when you wanted to pitch camp, you couldn't do so without one. You needed them to keep warm, especially when night came, the nights could get so terribly cold in during the darker hours. You needed them to boil water, or warm it, for making tea, or washing ext. You used one to cook your food too, and seeming as she was hoping on getting some fish, she needed one; she was not going to eat it raw. You also needed a fire to keep the insects such as mosquitoes away, it was not summer and they were not much of a problem for her right now, but it helped in that respect anyway.

She had been taught by Souta, who was always the expert in survival skills how to make a fire. Kikyou was the warrior of the family, and while neither sibling wanted or expected their young sibling to take after them in their skills, the babysat her when she was not with Keade, and consequently she learnt all they knew.

You didn't just need wood to light a fire, but stones and leaf litter too. She went to the river that was nearby and fished around in the murky depth for five large flat stones to make the base of the fire. After carrying the rock back to the clearing she went out again to collect leaf litter and small, thin sticks for the kindling. Then she collected some big logs, making sure she had lots so she would not have to keep going out for extra.

It would take her months of training to catch fish with her hands or a knife, so that was out of the question. However, Souta had taught her that you could lure the fish out with bait, something Kikyou had reiterated in warrior terms for some reason. If you feign an injury, or have a relative or child with you, the demon will go for you or them even though they know you are a slayer or at least capable of harming or killing them.

Fish like to eat things like worms, so if she managed to get them she could catch the fish. It did not take long scrambling around in the dirt to get the worms; it had been wet recently, so they were near the surface. She sharpened some sticks and old bones to make fish hooks and hung the traps along the riverbank. Hopefully, there would be some carp or trout when she went to check on them later when the fire was built and blazing.

While she was near the river, she may as well give herself a quick wash, she mused as she stared at the water. It was not the cleanest, of rivers, and was a little too cold for her liking, but it would do; she needed to bathe quite badly. She had always had a thing about her cleanliness, and though she did not have much in the way of soap or shampoo on her, there were some flowers and herbs that grew on the riverbank which would suffice.

After a 20 minute scrub down, she decided it was time to get some food. She had a nearly empty bag as she had used the herbs within it to make the salve and had given it to the strange man. That made room to store the food that she gathered. Her stomach was just as empty and as she collected the food she found, only a third of what she picked ended up in the bag, the rest was for her patient who was still sleeping.

It was boring and unappetising to eat herbs on their own, but they would go well with meat, this was provided she managed to catch some fish. Souta and Keade had taught her which mushrooms and berries were safe to eat, and which were not. There were not many safe mushrooms around as it was very cold and practically no other vegetables either, but there was plenty in the way of fruit, not just berries, but apples and pears.

She returned to her patient's side and made a fire. She only had a small knife on her that she used to cut the roots and stems of plants and herbs if they are difficult to pull out, and to cut off branches and menial things like that. It was a small blade and not incredibly sharp either, but it did the job of cutting a circle of turf off the forest floor.

She carefully laid the flat stones at the bottom of the shallow hole made and put the kindling, then the small sticks on top. She surprised herself with how easily it came to her and looked forward to showing off to her brother.

When it came to lighting the fire, her knowledge of how to do it, flints, and the ability to do so was courtesy of Souta once more. He had shown her time and time again how to bash them together and had insisted she trained to do so because she might never know when she would need to be able to do it.

How she would have managed without him, Kami only knows, she probably would still be curled up against his fur shivering and hungry. Keade and Souta were the two most important people in her life, for while she loved Kikyou and her parents very much, they were not a part of her life as much as those two.

While her own parents were overprotective, Keade was the one who gave her the space, encouragement and training a young miko needed. True, her own parents had no idea about her miko heritage, but still, they were oppressive. Keade was the one who convinced her that she was not weak, but very strong.

Kikyou would occasionally let her fire an arrow, but did not train her in aiming or encourage her fighting. She too had been too concerned to push her, and if she could fight and help protect the village, they were not in a time of war and the village had enough warriors, so why bother to teach her baby sister?

She found herself looking over her charge once more, occasionally putting twig on the fire to keep it going. She did not want to leave him alone, her duties in the village could wait, and she would stay with this young man until he awoke. It was late afternoon by this point and Kagome wondered whether she would be staying with him for another night. This was alright with her as long as he stayed unconscious, maybe that way she would get to spend another night curled up into the fur on his shoulder.

She unconsciously ran a few fingers through his hair and was surprised to find that it was not exactly tangled up or anything. She combed it with her fingers, wishing she had a brush on her to fix his beautiful hair properly. He really was far too pretty to be a proper male, nobody was so perfect, it shouldn't be allowed.

She lifted a strip of kimono up and was surprised to see that all that remained was a scab- he was practically all the way healed, and that was one of the most serious injuries as well. she looked down at the leg which was broken and found that when she felt it, the bone had aligned itself correctly and mended. It was a newly mended bone and felt tender; he would have to rest it for say – healing at the rate he was for about half a day – then he would be fine.

He was still sleeping, but that was all he was doing, sleeping, he was not unconscious anymore. He was beginning to stir too, and should wake up shortly. It was nearing the evening now, so she should be getting on home, but she was still reluctant to leave the man all on his own. But it nagged at her – was he a man – he was male of course, but he did not seem human.

Many humans were eccentric she knew and would not put it past many to wear a fluffy boa and be ridiculously tall and make silver hair look good. From the looks of him and his figure and clothes, he must be from the aristocracy. But there was something about him that told her he was not human, he was too strange. She had noticed it last night when she had healed him and entertained the idea all night, but was it true?

She had never actually _seen _a demon before, but had heard plenty of stories from, well, everyone. They all said they were ruthless and bloodthirsty, to be feared and killed, that's why we had heroes such as Sango. But where had they gotten that information, although she was a slayer, Sango had not been given cause to go to battle yet and so had not fought a demon so far. She had read about them as had Kagome and Keade, and all storied and documents were obviously written by humans and designed to scare and instil hate.

Kagome was open to other idea though, she always had been. Surely not all demons were fully bad, they could not be. Demons had lives too, and homes, and families – a husband or wife, parents, siblings and children. They felt pan and happiness, fear and confidence, hate and love, they must be like humans a little.

She was sure that some demons must be as horrible as the stories claim. Every legend has a flicker of truth in it after all, or where would the story come from. But when you come to think of it, many humans were evil too, preying on each other, thievery, rape, murder, humankind was more than capable of those things too.

When you think of demons, the first images that came to mind were of green slime and such other grotesque images to fit the stories. But Kagome now knew that lots of powerful demons looked like humans, she had read this, and this sort of demon is what her patient was she was sure of it. Maybe he was a demon of high class.

He had stupendously fast healing powers for starters, broken bones healing in one night and slashes taking a few hours. Even with her help using her miko powers, it would take powers to be at the healed state he is in now. She was surprised that her miko powers did not hurt him more seeming as they were meant to be natural enemies but she had not meant to hurt him but heal him, maybe intentions matter.

He was tall, had silver hair, his fingernails were like claws, he had markings on him and a... maybe it was a pelt. What's more, his ears were pointed and at the sides of his head – what sort of demon he happened to be was unclear at the moment, but he was a powerful one because he could keep a human form.

Finishing her ministrations on his hair she figured the fish needed putting on the fire now it was hot enough. When she had done so, she turned back to the demon to find him staring back at her with cold amber eyes.

Amber eyes, deep, cold, frightening, intriguing, and different.

Amber – youkai.

He was definitely a youkai.


	3. Alone and lost

**Next chapter guys, sorry for the long wait.**

**Chapter 3 – Alone and Lost**

Kagome looked at the frightening demon from under her long lashes. He was intimidating when he was asleep, but it was nothing compared to when he was awake, it was those eyes... they were hypnotising. He was so tall, even when lying down; just the thought of him towering over you was enough to have you quaking in terror. His hair formed a silver curtain behind him; his pointed ears which were just visible behind that curtain picked up on every sound around him. Those long sharp claws, and those fangs that she could see when he yawned left nothing to the imagination, you could see just how deadly they were.

He was able to hold a human form too, she had learnt not just from Keade and Sango, but from everyone, eager to protect the weakling of the village, that only the strongest of demons could do that. Most demons were of lower class and if they were a centipede demon for example, a giant centipede form they would sustain. Yet the strong ones, the ones often called Taiyoukai, the Demon Lords, they were much more deadly than other demons, although they were quite obviously demons and not humans. Deadly was not the right word, but they much more powerful, humans were always on the bottom of the food chain she had learnt. There was a huge difference between human child and an adult slayer, and a huge difference between human and demon, and another huge difference between youkai and Taiyoukai.

She did not belong in the same place as this Taiyoukai, she knew this, it was stupid, yet here she was, all alone with him. She held Inushasta in front of her as one would do a shield, she sought comfort in his warm, white fur, but he offered her no protection. She had learnt that honour was very important to the Taiyoukai, so surely he would not attack her. It did not stop her being afraid, you were never too old for, or above being afraid.

She clutched her little toy dog Inushasta close to her as she looked at the demon lying in front of her. Kami he was handsome, that was undeniable, any fool could see it, and even a young child like her was not unable to say it. That pale skin and that long hair which was such an interesting colour even for a demon had her quite shamelessly ogling him. The muscles, the tall frame and the amber eyes made him too good to be human, he wasn't human, but he looked more like an angel that a demon. The markings, oh, the markings, they were just incredible, two purple stripes on each cheek, lilac eyelids and a blue crescent moon on his forehead had hooked her attention. The fluffy boa was still a mystery to her, but it was part of him, he must be a demon of an animal which had white fur – he could be just about anything.

He was what her sister Kikyou would call 'hot', although she had said that she was not into males at the moment. He was what her friends who were he own age would call 'gorgeous', and yes he was, but Kami he was scary. She could not show her fear now though, she had to be brave and face this demon head on. She had just tended to him, so now she had to check whether he was healed enough for her to leave, or whether he still needed to her. It was true he was looking healed, but he had been practically dead when she'd first found him.

"Umm, hello there," she uttered nervously with a small smile at him. Her midnight blue eyes shone wide with childlike innocence. "How are you feeling?" She inquired, moving a little closer to him to assess his wounds. He growled in warning so she stayed back, he was wary of her, that was understandable, he must have been attacked something fierce to land him in the condition he was in when she came across him. Hopefully he would get over his wariness of others soon; she would like to get to know him, however scary he looked.

He stared at her with his narrowed unblinking amber eyes and Kagome shifted uncomfortably under his rather obvious scrutiny. His eyes went up at down her body from where he lay on the ground, all bandaged up, but seemingly O.K. given how he'd first been and taking into account youkai healing abilities. He did not seem to be about to say anything, maybe he just preferred to stay silent; she'd met the silent type of person before. Her father was the silent type of person, so she knew; nothing could be done to change them.

She was not sure what she was expecting from the demon, she did not want anything. She did not want a reward, she did not even want gratitude, but she stayed with him anyway. She wanted to make sure he was alright before she left him. But if he was the silent type then he wasn't going to tell her even if she asked. She would have to make an assumption on his health based on his appearance and strength in his movements.

He looked to be alright at a first glance and a once over, but that meant nothing. She knew full well that looks could be deceiving; she did not have to be a miko and have more than enough experience to know that. For example he had looked to be dead, the first time she'd seen him, but it had turned out he was alive, just weak. She wanted to believe he was alright so she could try and find her way back to the village, they were sure to be worried about her, they worried entirely too much, but she loathed to leave a job unfinished. If he was truly unable to look after himself then she could not in good conscious leave him alone.

Maybe he would help her find her way back to the village. Really, it was the least that he could do after saving his life and all. She did not require it of him, she would not demand he help her back, that would not be a proud thing to do. But surely he must know where it was, or at least be capable of finding it easier than she could hope to. But with him staring at her like that it was hard for her to verbalize the request.

Before she gathered the courage to speak to him, he decided to speak himself. His voice was tantalizing, it was rich and dark and deep, it was so cold though, it made her physically shiver. It was a quiet voice, but that did not mean he was weak, because his speech was unbroken and flowed perfectly. Now he was awake though, she felt rather unwell; she knew that this feeling of oppression was too, though she had never been in close enough contact with a Taiyoukai to feel it before. It was because she was a miko, and her powers clashed with his Taiyoukai aura because they were stark opposites in the world.

Mikos were meant to hate Youkai, kill them on sight without second thought. Yet, she had never understood this, it made no sense. When she had asked why she had been told it was because demons were evil. That could not be true, humans could be evil as well, and did demon mothers tell their children the same thing about humans? There was no reason why they should be enemies, and yet, he was nature telling her that they were meant to be, feeling oppressed just by being near a demon, a Taiyoukai at that. It was not pleasant, but she could handle it, and by the way he was narrowing his eyes at her, he was feeling the same thing.

"What are you doing here miko? A child should not be alone in the woods, not when there are dangerous demons that could kill you in the blink of an eye." Despite his words, there did not seem to be compassion or worry in his voice, he just sounded disapproving, wondering how someone could be so stupid. She guessed he was right about that, it was stupid; she should not have gone running off into the woods all on her own looking for herbs. But then again, on second thoughts, if she had not, he might be dead right now. Once she told him this he would understand, but he beat her to it with another question.

"Why am I covered in your disgusting human scent? Humans are the vilest creatures on this Earth and I do not appreciate reeking like them. My clothes, mokomoko and body reek like you; it will take days for the stench to fade." Well at least she knew he was definitely not the silent type after all, but why was he saying this. "Be glad you are a child and that I have honour or you would not still be alive right now for such a disgrace."

Kagome's breath caught in her throat – what did he just say? Was he being serious, if she had been but five or six years older, he would have killed her just for being near him? Was it because she was a miko, and he felt the need to kill her being a Taiyoukai himself? If Sango had been here she might have killed him because she was a slayer, it was what she was trained to do. But she had learnt not to kill those who were not portraying any sort of threat.

"Why are you dressed so indecently? You do not look like you could be older than 10 summers and yet you are dressed like a common whore. They are getting younger and younger these days; you are not even old enough to have experienced your first heat." Kagome took a step back, clutching Inushasta closer still. Did he just imply what she thought he did? She learnt what the word 'whore' meant only a week back.

She saw someone she did not know call Kikyou a whore, but did not know who it was or what the word entailed. All she knew was that it had been a friend of sorts to her sister and Kikyou had cried for the rest of the day. When she asked Kikyou what it meant she had kept silent, but Souta told her when she asked him, he blushed as he did so, but he never could resist telling her what she wanted to know and she knew it. She had been horrified at the discovery and felt rage at whoever dared to deal such as insult to her sister, for she loved Kikyou although she did not gain as much sisterly love from her as she would have liked.

This demon whom she had only just met was calling her a whore because she was dressed indecently. She was dressed indecently, but only because she had used her clothes to bind _his _wounds so he did not have to ruin his expensive ones. How could he be so cruel to her, even if she had not saved his life, they had only just met? And she was only 10, a child; surely he did not actually think she was a whore did he? She was too young really to know of such things and here he was insulting her after she'd saved him.

Why? She surprised herself by finding she felt little to no anger or hate for this youkai for his cruel and uncalled for words to her. Still she felt hurt from his words and confusion, all she really wanted to know was – why? She had done nothing but help him yet he responds with cruel words and harsh treatment. He spoke of humans generally of disdain as if he hated them, maybe he did, what warranted it, why? Why?

"Why are you saying this?"

He ignored her. "Go human, do not come near me."

She wanted to turn around and run blindly into the woods, to try and get to the village. She did not care that she was lost; she did not care than the day was wearing on and it would likely be nightfall before she made it out of the woods, if she ever managed to make it out. She was beyond caring though, all she knew was that she had to get away from here, from him. All she'd wanted was to make sure he was alright.

She struggled to think of something she could say in her defence before she left. She struggled to think of some insult, anything to retort with to show she was not useless and could defend herself. But her throat was dry and she could think of nothing to say. She wanted to argue with him and shout back and initiate a fight, but she could not find it within herself to hurt him more, even though she was quite sure she was able to.

"I told you to get out of my sight you useless, weak human, now!" He growled.

Those words hurt her more than any other insult could. Useless and weak. It was a description she was used to now. She felt that tears that had risen up in her subside again; she would no longer cry because they all said she was weak and useless. She would no longer admit it, because they were wrong, she was not useless, she was strong.

She managed to look after herself and him perfectly well. She had made a fire, gathered food, tended to him with her knowledge and miko powers. She was strong enough to use her spiritual powers to heal him, and not just anyone could do such. She was not a warrior, true, but she was not pathetic, she knew this now.

Her tears ran cold and she knew that once she was away from him they would run freely, but for now, she would remain calm. "I am sorry for being of such a disturbance and inconvenience for you sir. I should have realized that you being a youkai would have survived and should have left you to yourself." This was a lie, there was no way in hell she would have ever left him to bleed his life away, her human heart would not allow it.

She bowed to him, a small but respectful bow at the waist; she refused to hold anything against him. There was really nothing else she could think of to say, but she hoped whatever vendetta it was he had for humans, it ended soon before it destroyed him, because such unprecedented hate always led to the destruction of the one who held it.

"Surely someone who is useless cannot look after themselves," she said in a neutral voice. "Surely someone who is weak cannot heal another back from the brink of death. Enjoy your dinner mister, goodbye." She turned around and fled, tears burning her eyes as the leaked over the edge and slid down her cheeks in waves of upset.

She ran and ran and ran, going on for as long as she could without stopping. She tripped over roots and leaf litter on the ground, scratching her hands and knees as she caught herself. Tree branches whipped her face as she rushed past, usually breaking the skin, but she did not care. It stung something fierce, the small cuts always did, but still she did not stop. She did not care if she was cut to ribbons; she had to get away from him.

She encountered no demons as she ran, but she passed dangerous looking snakes and bears. Thankfully none of them paid her any attention, although she most definitely looked like pray. Her large midnight blue eyes were large and wide like a feeling hare's or a hind. The scent of her blood was in the air because of the cuts lacerating her hands, knees and face. Her tears which ran freely down her cheeks left a wet tail that any could follow.

Even though her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was trying to leap right out of her chest she kept pushing on. She was breathing so hard it came out in raps and she was desperate for a drink, especially now she had lost most of the water in her body through her eyes. The soles of her feet ached from slapping on the cold hard ground again and again as she kept running, and every single one of her muscles screamed in protest.

Still, she ran like she had never run before, she had never been given cause to flee like this and it was a new experience. She was aware that she was rather slow and a little unfit, for she had never done this before. She ran around with her friends and had to be fast to try and keep up with her brother when he trained her in secret and to keep up with Sango and Miroku and Kohaku who were all skilled athletes among other things. Yet she was called weak for a reason, and her chest would not allow her to go as fast as she probably needed to be. This knowledge only frightened her further, causing her to push herself to the absolute limit.

She did not know what direction she was heading in, whether she was going towards the village, or at least a village, or whether she was just heading deeper into the forest. She ran for an half an hour straight, without stopping to catch her breath before she collapsed. She lay on the ground, panting, covered in dirt, parched, hungry again, tired and upset, confused and frightened. She needed to get to the village, she wanted to go home.

She did not care about how overbearing her family could be, she wanted them back. She wanted her mother and father and Keade who treated her as a daughter just as much as her biological family. she wanted Souta and even Kikyou though she was good at ignoring her. She wanted her friends, she wanted Sango and Miroku and Kohaku and Hojo, and she wanted Erie and Yuuka, and all of the others. She did not have them though, she was alone, alone in the woods with nothing but Inushasta... wait, where was Inushasta.

She had thought he was carefully tucked inside what remained of her kimono, but she was wrong. She could not find him anywhere on her person or anywhere nearby. She must have dropped him somewhere, the only one who truly cared for her, the only one who was not judgemental. The only one who had been there for her since birth, given to her by Keade. She truly was alone now, with no one for comfort, alone and lost.


	4. An unfamiliar twinge

**Sorry for the late update... again, I've been focusing on 'Like father, like son' instead and my revision for A levels, though not as much as I perhaps should. Still, don't forget to read and review this, I appreciate the hassle you have to go through especially on Dokuga, so I really appreciate those who bother and I want to know what my readers think. Still, as long as it is read and enjoyed, I'm happy.**

**Chapter 4 – An unfamiliar twinge**

Kagome was blinded by her stinging tears as she ran, fighting against herself to keep going. She did not k now what direction she was heading in and neither did it matter to the child. She was aware of time passing, afternoon fading into the evening and the first few stars coming out in the sky, still she kept going. Eventually by some turn of good luck there was a break in the trees and Kagome burst relatively unharmed from the forest and into her village.

Naturally it was her big brother Souta who noticed her first and ran over to her crying form. He did not say anything; he did not need to, and just enveloped his sister into his strong, loving arms. She could do nothing but cry harder with relief now she was back with the people she knew. He knew his sister had a large tolerance for pain so knew she was crying for reasons other than the cuts and scratches on her body. Kagome knew this too, but they knew better than to press and explain the matter. Kagome was not ready to tell her family all about her experiences and, she was crying too hard to formulate coherent words.

It was her parents who found her next, hearing the wailing and coming to investigate. It took one look at the state of their little priestess for them to panic, but feel relief at the same time. "Take her inside Souta," her father instructed, putting an arm under the arms of his wife and supporting her while he took her inside. Souta did not need telling twice and picked his sister up, cradling the small child to him and one would a baby. Once held against her brother's strong chest, Kagome quietened down to a whimper.

He murmured comforting nothings to her as he steadily walked towards the small hut that housed their family. Her parents patched up her injuries while Souta stroked her hair and held her hands telling her everything was going to be alright, and although he did not know what she needed assurance from, Kagome knew, and she sincerely hoped he was right. Kikyou got her changed into a clean, dry set of clothes so she would not get ill. Several cups of tea and bouts of tears later, she was ready to talk about what happened.

Everyone was there to hear the turn of events that led to her going missing, her return and the state of her, primarily her injuries. Her family sat on her right hand side, Souta still kept a hand tangled in her hair and her parents looked on worriedly. As for Kikyou, Kagome did not know whether to feel proud or down heartened by her reaction. She was glad her sister was safe and sound, but she had known her sister was not as weak as everyone made her out to be and was not as worried and therefore as relieved as everyone else.

Kagome knew better than to tell the village everything, for practically the entire village was there, not that she could tell through the tears still in her eyes. Her friends were all there for support, Sango, Miroku, Hojo and Kohaku at the front. Sango. She was glad she was there, and she was sorry for ever doubting her, she was right, demons were evil. They did not care and would never care, especially for humans; she should never have argued her point. She was a miko, she was an enemy to demons, and they would forever be an enemy to her.

She did not know what to say and what to leave out. She did not have to be specific; they did not want to know everything. "I just wanted to collect herbs to make a salve I learnt from somewhere," there, that would do. They could see she was still distressed and did not press where and how and when she learnt this and she was not going to get Keade into trouble, or say she made it herself. "I got dark quickly though and I lost my way."

What next? She was not going to say she was a miko, so that was definitely out, and she could not say she healed a demon either. Souta would likely be reprimanded for teaching her all about survival skills too so she would have to tell him the real story later. She would stick with the bare bones of the story, and then say how she got hurt. "I ran into a demon, a Taiyoukai," there that was enough, and that audible intake of breath and sudden hush in the room was not at all encouraging but would ensure her confinement for a few days at least. She did not care; she did not want to go into the forest again for a few days just in case she saw him again.

"Oh my gosh," Sango said coming to kneel by her side so she was looking her in her teary eyes. "It is surprising the beast did not kill you, they are known to be so heartless. I am just glad you are alive, poor thing, you must have been terrified." Sango was right, she was lucky to be alive, the demon had said so himself, be glad you are a child and I have honour, or you would be dead by now for such a disgrace, should she thankful then?

No, she would thank the Kamis when they deserved it, if luck truly had been on her side then she would not have gotten lost and seen the nearly dead demon at all. If the Kamis had been for her they would prevented her from falling and cutting herself so much in her attempt to run away. Then again, they had decided to return her to the village, instead of leaving her vulnerable to the dangers of the forest and the demons out there. The Kamis had given her the strength to keep her call and stand up for herself.

Yes, she decided that things could indeed be worse; she had been telling herself that for 10 years now before and after every decision she made, things could be worse, a mantra that she lived by. She could have been killed off by diseases such as hypothermia brought on by the cold, or attacked by a demon, or eaten by a wild animal. Instead she had saved a life, met a strange heavenly looking creature who in reality had a black heart that she would hopefully never meet again and discovered the extent of how far her miko powers stretched.

"Did the demon hurt you?" Her father asked that question aloud, while everybody wanted to know the answer. Kagome knew that her father meant physically, but she still shakily nodded her head, because he had hurt her, far more than any physical wounds could inflict. Sango had shaken her head, she knew that the wounds on her were not inflicted by a demon, if it had attacked her, Kagome would definitely not still be alive. She did not say anything though, if Kagome answered yes, there was a reason for it.

"What did the Taiyoukai look like?" It was Kohaku who asked her this, he swore he was going to hunt down the demon who dared to hurt the girl he loved. Sango nodded an affirmative, Kagome was like a little sister to her and she would protect her with her life if need be. This was a question though the child had not wanted to answer.

Sesshoumaru picked himself up off the ground, expecting the movement to hurt him a lot. Surprisingly though, not only did it not hurt at all, he was not even stiff. He was well aware how badly he'd been hurt, and to be honest he had not expected to survive. When he collapsed and felt unconsciousness nag at him, he'd known that death would be quick to follow; to wake again afterwards was a blessing.

His youkai powers were obviously more advanced than he had believed, but then they had never been put to the test like that before. He ran his fingers through his hair to find that it seemed to be relatively untangled given the circumstances. What is more, he was not at all bloodstained; his clothes and his body both were clean. So then who... his mind flicked to the image of the child he's unexpectedly seen when he woke up – no, it can't be.

The blood was soaked with blood, his blood, he had lost an awful lot, too much for him to be at least conscious, and he should have died from it. Yet he had not, he was alive and well, not even injured, that surly was not right. The only thing that should have happened was for the blood to have been replenished. The only one he knew who could do that was his personal healer, whom he knew was still at the Western castle.

He took of some of the bindings on his chest and realized that the injuries were completely healed. There was no way that could happen, not even with his Taiyoukai strength did he have the ability to heal so thoroughly with such little time. There was a sweet smelling salve in his cuts too, and they were bound to heal them quicker. Once more his mind flicked to the small miko, surely she can't have... but then who else?

Those bindings too, they were identical to what she had been wearing. An unfamiliar twinge of an unknown feeling tugged at his heart. It was guilt, he was guilty about what he'd said to her, for it had been unfair, and not true at all. He had hurt her feelings badly, and all she had done was... she had saved his life; he'd be dead without her. She had exhausted her miko powers at the tender age of 10, a human, and all he could think to do was insult – it sickened him. His actions were one of no honour, he had even gone as far as to threaten her, of course even she had been an adult he never had any intentions of hurting her, but he had still said it.

That explained her state of dress; she had ripped apart her own clothes in order to bind his injuries. She had done so much for him, and he had sent her into the wilderness alone and unprotected, her miko powers exhausted on him. the smell of food reached his nose and he say before him a great array of meat and berries littered with herbs before him, and a fire to keep them warm. There was far too much food here for one 10 year old girl, that realization hit him immediately. She had gathered the food for him; she had even caught a fish for she knew that demons preferred to dine on meat, preferably rare.

His breath caught in his throat and he did something he had not done for months – he swore aloud. His amber eyes narrowed, he could not remember the last time he did that. He cared about her, because she had sacrificed for him, her safety, her food, her miko powers, her strength, even her clothing, all for him, a Taiyoukai. She had done all this for someone she did not know, someone who was her natural enemy, and someone who had not appreciated her efforts. He swore again, no one must know of his actions.

He absent-mindedly dined on the fish, just because it was there and he was hungry. Just as he was finishing the scent of blood tainted the cool forest air. It was blood he recognized the scent of, it was her, she'd been hurt. He could sense her getting further and further way though at a steady pace, so she was still running from him. He smelt salt too, she was crying, but her words remained with him, she was not weak, or useless.

He agreed with her there, not only had she stood up to him, something he greatly admired in itself but prior to that she had proven to him the truth of her words by saving him. She, a miko, had chosen to save his life, when most ningens would have left him for dead, maybe even finished him off, not trusting nature to be so harsh on him. Not only was she powerful enough at the age of 20 years to bring a Taiyoukai back from the brink of death, but she was kind hearted and helped all who required it, even him.

He cursed himself again for his mistaken assumptions and insensitivity. It was not like him to be wrong about anything, and even less like him to admit it, yet here he was, cursing himself over and over. He was known to be heartless, he was described as such by many, and what is more, he prided himself on his disdain and distaste for humans, but now guilt resided in his actions towards one instead of indifference.

He was indebted to her and he felt no disdain about the matter, he did not care that this was the case. The least he could do was make sure she was not hurt, and then he would return the favour, honour bade it of him, and so did his heart, something he had not known he had. Cursing once more his own dishonour and stupidity, he sped after the slowly disappearing scent of the child, salt becoming more prominent the closer he came to her.

When he was nearby he stepped on something soft and it almost made him stumble. Curious as to what it could be, he looked down to see it was a soft toy that children were fond of. It was a white dog, one that looked eerily like his half brother he found. Slight irritation ticked at his senses at the mere thought of the foolish half breed.

Sesshoumaru growled as he thought of the hanyou, but pushed the feelings aside, now was not the time to be thinking of him, now was the time to be thinking of tracking the girl. Not that it was hard to track her, not only was her scent unique and strong, she had left a trail which was visible too. He did not have to be the perfect predator to track her; it was like following a careless pup. That is exactly what she was though; he was not to be swayed by her power. Strong she may be, and undertrained, but that is because she was merely 10 summers old. She was a pup, and was to be treated and thought of accordingly.

Following her was easy, and he was glad that she had made it to the village relatively unharmed. He watched from the border of the tree line as a teenage boy he scented to be what he presumed to be her brother found her and comforted her. A strange flip of his heart startled him as the boy lifted her into his arms and carried her into a nearby house.

He should have gone then, secure in the knowledge the miko was safe, but instead he had waited around to... well he was not sure, to be near her. He silently sidled up to the side of the hurt and listened to the villagers as they crowed around her asking her questions. She answered them all, leaving out vital pieces of information about the story, again this confused him, she could not be... protecting him could she – like he needed it. No, she was protecting the villagers who were more than willing to hunt him for hurting her despite being hopelessly outmatched, yet based on her actions so far, the motives were likely to be both.

It was when the question about his looks came into question that he sprang into action. She should not have released any information about what had happened, the humans did not know there were youkai in the area. If they ventured into the forest they may well encounter the brethren of what he had slaughtered, and almost died from. Having an entire village massacred so soon after he was the only youkai capable of such, who'd been sighted, did not bode well for him. He did not want their deaths laid at his feet for no just reason. The miko would be terribly upset too... not that her happiness was terribly important to him.

At first she said that she could not remember what he looked like, but she was not believed of course. Then she hesitantly said he had a human form and was therefore a Taiyoukai, then went onto say he had amber eyes. She was about to elaborate further, but it would be too late by then, he could not allow her description of him to any further, or it would end in disaster for all involved. His looks were not shared by others, only a handful of Taiyoukai had amber eyes, there were only a handful of Taiyoukai ford stop.

He could not allow her to go on.

To the villages it was nothing but a silver flash that meant nothing. A sudden and unexplainable gust of wind was felt by all. When it was all over they noticed nothing had changed... except that Kagome was no longer there.


	5. The incompetence

**Ooooh, dark and possessive Sesshoumaru, I wonder whatever will happen?**

**Chapter 5 – The Incompetence**

Kagome was aware she was moving too fast, she was being jerked this way and that, round corners and bends far too quickly. She should have been told to hold her breath before subjected to something like this, it was horrible. She was vaguely aware of trees rushing past her at tremendous speeds so much so it was no more than a blur, she was aware of the ground passing beneath feet far too quickly as well. It was not her feet either, oh no, she was being carried, unceremoniously tucked into someone's side. Kagome clenched her eyes shut to try and ease the sickness feeling in her stomach as she was rushed along far too fast.

Then suddenly they came to a stop and she was dropped, rather gently mind you onto a nearby patch of leaves. She glared up frightened and cross at the person who had taken her and gave an intake of breath, it was him, the Taiyoukai she had healed earlier, the bastard. She could not bring herself to be frightened at all when confronted with him, he stimulated many feelings within her, but terror was not one of them. To this demon she was furious, upset and confused but no way was she giving him the satisfaction of her fear.

"What do you want?" She asked him sulkily, torn between staring at the ground not meeting his eyes and challenging him by staring right into them. She did not want to challenge him by staring right at him, but at the same time did not want to appear weak. Then again, would possible challenge could he see from a child, a defenceless one at that? The answer was simple: she posed none; Kagome stared into his golden eyes as she spoke.

"You would do good to watch how freely to talk of your experiences girl." His voice, though cold and commanding, was not as mean as it had been last time. "I do not want to have to kill everyone you know to protect my lands. When you all band together you can prove to be rather powerful, it is a pity you always have to kill each other over petty disputes really. I stay out of the way of humans as long as they stay out of mine. That is why I come across a predicament with you, they have always lived in fear of me, and then I met you. I have questions and you shall answer them, then I shall take you back to the village."

"I don't have to answer anything to you!" Kagome disagreed, getting to her feet, still only coming up to his waist with his tremendous height. "I do not owe you anything so don't you order me around like you own me! Secondly, my name is Kagome, not girl, or WHORE, so don't call me that, it is not that hard Ka-go-me! Wait, you don't care about my name, why would you? After all I am nothing but a stupid, weak, child whore to you after all, why the hell would my name matter. It is not as if I did anything for you after all!"

Fear fled her and tears spiked her eyes as she strode forward, intent on showing him just how angry with him and upset she was. Taiyoukai she was pretty sure were incapable of feeling remorse or guilt, but she would try. "Why the hell do you still have those disgusting rags on your body?" She demanded, "you do realize that they belong to me, a disgusting human, don't you? I'll be taking them back now," and she ripped them from his body. She was surprised to see his wounds were completely healed from her salve, miko powers and demonic speed.

Then she hit him in the chest with her tiny balled up fists. When he did not react she did it again, and then again and again and again. He just stood there, enduring it all, letting her get her tantrum out of her system, and her attacks were pitiful to say the least. Eventually though it seemed she ran out of steam and therefore her attacks became considerable weaker. She seemed to notice she was not doing him any damage or causing him any hurt and hit him a couple of more times just because before coming to a complete stop.

"I hate you!" She screeched at him in a painfully high pitched voice, she seemed to not know that ears were sensitive, or if she did, she meant to hurt him. "All I wanted to do was to help you and you threw that in my face. I wanted to prove that not all demons were as I'd been taught but your actions proved every single story right. I wish I never met you, take me back to my village and never come in to my life again."

He let her have her little outburst, and her anger; needless to say he deserved it. Still, he had curiosities that needed to be settled. "No," he told her plainly, "you are going nowhere until you have answered my questions." She looked like she wanted to argue further but decided not to push her luck with the Taiyoukai. After all, it would not take long to answer what she needed to and then she could go home. He shoulders slumped in defeat.

Taking this as his cue, the demon Lord started with his first question, "why did you help me miko?" He asked genuinely curious. They are supposed to be natural enemies, even as a child she should fear him, yet she had not left him for dead and actually gone out of her way for him. It did not make sense to him so he needed to be prepared for what was to happen. She was going to ask for something in return, well riches he could bestow easily, but there may be a higher price. Seeming as she was only a child she was probably used by another to get to him, her immature yet highly powerful miko powers exploited.

"What do you care?" Kagome spat angrily and still upset, arms crossed and pouting, still sitting on that patch of leaves he'd placed her on. "Obviously showing you a bit of kindness and healing you was the biggest mistake of my life. "All I asked for was a simple thank you, in fact, not even that, just recognition that I was not weak, but obviously I could not even get that much from you. I am sorry to have ever met you, now leave me alone!"

Kagome continued to screech on about how ungrateful he was and then she decided she needed to put a stop to the screeching less he became deaf. It was quite clear to him now that he was not going to get any clear answers until she was appeased. It was not like he did not mean it, because he did, he would never say something he did not mean at least a little. it just so happened though that he was not used to ever actually using the words and so it got stuck in his throat and was a bit hard to get all the way out.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, so lowly she almost did not hear it over her shouting and raving, but it was there, an apology. She was so shocked she stared at him in silence, amazed he had stooped so low as to say sorry to her. He seemed offended by her shock, "what? I maybe heartless sometimes but I am a Taiyoukai of honour, I know when my apology is needed and when my thanks is due. So I am sorry for the way I acted to you after your shows of kindness and I thank you for healing me, I would have surely died without your assistance."

Kagome then burst into a bright smile, "that was not so hard now was it? You are welcome I guess, it was my pleasure! Well, I guess that is everything," Kagome noted starting to wander off in the direction she was pretty sure her village was in; "I hope to see you around sometime. It was nice meeting you... Sesshoumaru is it?"

"Where are you going so fast? You do realize it is I who took you here?"

"Yes, but we've discussed everything now so I'm going back."

"We have everything left to discuss."

"Like what?"

"My question... Kagome, why did you heal me?"

"What sort of a question is that? I did it because you were hurt and you needed help. I came across you and had the power to save your life; I could not just leave you."

"I am a youkai and you are a miko so-"

"Well I think that is sad that this should cause such a divide," Kagome interrupted, having hard this numerous times from Sango before, "after all, you are still a life and I could have and so did choose to save you. You being a Taiyoukai and me being a miko hardly makes a difference, do you understand where I am coming from?"

He did, he just found it hard to believe that anyone could be so selfless, it did not make sense, it was not human nature, or demon nature. Only an angel had such a heart, and an angel would never save the life of a demon, it just was not done. "What do you want in payment?" He may as well cut to the chase, he did not have all day.

"Oh, that is O.K, I don't want anything in return."

He could smell she was telling the truth too, all this, her, it was surreal, ridiculous. How the hell was this girl still even alive? The only thing Sesshoumaru could guess at was with a girl this pure of soul even the cold hands of death did not have the heart to take her away. She was oblivious to pain and things working out less than perfect or she was hopelessly naive and optimistic, it was probably both, and if so – why? She was a miko and even he knew that the first thing you are taught is that Taiyoukai were you enemy.

She did not make sense to him. None of this was making any sense... unless... unless she was an undiscovered. Miko's were few and far between, could it be her powers were unknown by her village? He asked her to satisfy the curiosity. "Well, my family are overprotective, and if I told them of my powers I was afraid of being locked up even more. You see, I get ill a lot and I am not allowed to do well pretty much anything because of it."

So she was an undiscovered and unnoticed, he should have known. Why had nobody from her village found them yet? Surely they cared that much about her that they could follow such clearly laid trail, he did it on purpose so he did not have the escort the girl home. So she was an unhappy, oppressed, undiscovered, and uncared for, unnoticed miko child living in a village that could not protect her or care less about it. To him, it was pretty obvious what he had to do, a pure of heart child miko must not be left so unguarded.

He was not used to such unprecedented kindness and it more than disturbed him. It was not real, that sort of person just did not exist, not in the world, or maybe just not in his world. Being a dark demon he did not believe in acts of kindness, but still, this girl managed to _worry _him. it would be a lie if he said he did not care whether or not she lived or died, because he did find that he liked the young girl an awful lot, because of what she did. Yet if she carried on the way she was, she would be lucky to make it into her teens.

How could she act like this, living in this world, always giving and never taking anything in return, and still be alive on top of that, he wondered absentmindedly. When one helps one's foes, and he was her foe being a Taiyoukai and her being a miko, one cannot expect to live very long. Not only had she helped him but denied him being an enemy, said they should not be, it seemed so simply. But he was not a child and knew better, you cannot just push centuries of heritage and tradition to the side.

She was just one for helping everyone, even those she should not, even those who would make her regret it and come back to hurt her for nothing but her purity, people like him. In the laws of odds and nature and everything that was logic stated she should not still be moving and breathing. Yet somehow she had managed it, and what was more annoying was that he had worked out how and was not at all pleased with the reason.

When you help a Taiyoukai so much that you save his life, his honour and pride are shaken. Nothing means more to Taiyoukai than the honour and pride their station requires them to have and it is the most precious thing you can attack. Yet it was even more than that with this human miko child because along with the honour to repay her came the lingering feeling of affection for the child, a foreign emotion he had all but forgotten since his mother had passed away decades ago now. it was deep affection, he did not know why.

He set to wondering whether she acted like this with every foe that she came across, and if so, why and how and why again? Who brought her up in this world and kept her so sheltered she did not even know the meaning of the word 'enemy' and what that entailed? Coming to think of it, why was a 10 year old child who was vulnerable to illness and to demons being a miko allowed into the forest at all? Did her village not know of the dangers, or not know of the child, or maybe the child was forced into fleeing.

Whatever the scenario leading to her running blindly through the forest, the fact remained she had been there. And whatever the reason for how she came to run into him or her reasons why she helped him, the fact of the matter was that the meeting had taken place. He found he did not like the idea of helping every foe she came across because they may not all be as merciful as him. Another foe may kill her upon waking merely because she is a miko. And the village too, he did not like their incompetence in caring for the young miko child.

There was something in him though, or maybe it was something in the girl that called for him to protect her. He wanted to do it, to keep her safe, not just for his honour, but for her and for him, because he had grown deep set affection for her. Somehow amidst his insults, and how she stood up to him and her selflessness despite their heritage and how they should be enemies by nature he had grown affection for her.

He saw no flaw, nor saw anything wrong it what seemed the obvious next steps to take. The girl needed protection being a strong miko at such a tender age, many youkai would surely come after her, either to kill her or to make her their own. Not just demons either, but humans too, bad hearted ones and slayers who wished for such a powerful miko to join their ranks, or heal their soldiers. The village was incapable of doing so.

The girl was only a child and could not protect herself against strong foes. The village was so incompetent that it let her waltz into the forest of her own accord in the dead of night with no escort. And although he found it hard to believe, they did not even know of her miko powers, she was completely undiscovered. That left one option, one he was frighteningly eager to take. He would look after himself; no one could protect the girl better than the most powerful Taiyoukai in Japan, possibly the Earth just as his father had been before him.

He would comeback for her once everything was sorted at his palace. There was a lot to do after all before he could welcome a small human miko child into his home. He had to return so his court knew the battle he had encountered had been a success – sort of, they were dead and he was alive at least. Then there was paperwork for him to catch up on, this made him frown in distaste, always endless paperwork for him to slave through while he died of boredom on the inside. He hated his duty sometimes, he really did.

There was the case of the child herself of course too; organizing menus for the cook as she did not eat rare meat he was sure. He had to organize a teacher for her, or he supposed he could tutor her himself, he might as well school her as his ward. He had to sort out nanny, as she was a young child still she would need someone to take care of her needs for a mother. She would have the room next to his – everything else she needed he could take care of himself. There was no point after all in making her his ward if he did not partake in the caring of her at all.

It would not take long for him to organize and then he would come back for her, a week – maybe more. It must not take longer than that, with such an incompetent village looking after a child seeking adventure he could not leave her in their care for long. He briefly wondered whether she would understand before coming to the decision he did not much care either way. It was the way things were going to be and she would learn to deal with it in time. Seven days it was then, he would see her once more in seven days, and then she would be his.

He followed the child as she made her way back to the village, keeping no more, and no less than 10 paces from her, looking after her as she went. She had no idea he was there, but no demons came for her as she went.


	6. The Kimono and dancing

**Chapter 6 – The kimono and dancing**

It had been two days after her confrontation with Sesshoumaru when he had nabbed her from her village, dragged her out into the forest and promptly demanded to know why she had decided to save him that day. She still did not know what the deal was with that, but he was a Taiyoukai after all and she was a miko. Even if she would not accept that they were enemies, it was true that they were opposites and would probably never truly understand one another. Still, it was insulting to think that she would only decide to help someone if she thought she would get something in return, or would discriminate against a species.

She had been thinking about his words a lot since that day, he was in her mind every moment. Did demons work by that principle which is why he asked her? Surely not all demons were as heartless as humans claimed, Sesshoumaru must have a softer side to him, he did say he had honour, and sometimes honour stops you from being so ruthless. For example he had said he did not harm her because she was a child. But if their positions had been reversed and he had seen her near death that day, would he have bothered?

He said she was unique to help another so unconditionally. Maybe she was unique for saving a demon, but she knew others who would help another, it was just nature. Nobody would immediately just think about their own gains when you see someone who is nearly dead on the forest floor, for once, you can safely say the situation is not about you, it is for them. It made no sense to her why he should seem confused about her not wanting anything in return, maybe she would understand one day.

She was on her way home from playing with the other girls in the centre of the village. Since going out to pick herbs that fateful day to make her own salve she had not been ill again. Three free days were pretty good going for her and she was feeling optimistic that about her future. Perhaps she was finally growing out of the constant ailments and could start to be a normal child again. Able to play with her friends Erie and Yuka, she had grown a lot closer to them, they were playmates. They were not confidents like Sango, Miroku or Kohaku and neither were they sibling like such as Hojo was to her, though he wanted a different relationship with her.

She had not gone into the forest again since that day though did spend an awful lot of time with Keade and Sango, begging to know all about demons and their culture. While they were curious as to know why she wanted that information and new it was probably linked to her run in with one not long ago, they did as she asked. No one asked about hr mysterious disappearance a couple of minutes after she returned. Wanting to heed the Taiyoukai's words of being careful how freely she told her tales, she sidestepped the issue quite widely and insisted upon blanking out and not being able to remember a thing.

She blamed the lack of memory on her illness, even though she did not have one, and everybody swallowed up the 100% believable story with no trouble. Well, Keade gave her sceptical looks for she was always deep in thought, thinking about the encounter, but could sense the young girl did not want to talk about it and left the matter clear and untouched. Kagome was sure the whole ordeal would pass in time; she did not want things to change, as far as she was concerned, her life was practically set.

She already had a skill, when she turned 15 summers she would become an apprentice for Keade. At that age she would have the confidence to reveal her miko powers to everyone and could hone them further too, there was only so much Keade could teach after all. When she was 14 years old she may be able to get married, though who it would be she was not sure. She liked both Kohaku and Hojo though she was not sure who she liked more or if either of them would gain affections for another and no wait for her.

She had great friends, and a not so great family, but that did not matter, her friends were all she really needed. She was smiling; something that had been a forced expression forced expression for as long as she could remember. Sure there were times when she was amused, but very rarely was she just walking along and could not think about anything bad about her life, or managing to dismiss them, and just smiled for sake of it.

She could not wait to go straight to bed, exhausted from running around all day with those girls who never ran out of energy. She was not very fit, probably a product from days of doing but lie in bed being sick, it was bound to have many consequences. She opened the door to her hut and entered her room, went to the smallest futon at the far side which was hers and sat down. Immediately she heard the crinkle of paper and stood to see what she had sat on.

She saw that there was a package of some sort on the bed, a present it seemed, left for her, and a note, a small one. She taught herself how to read some time ago now with help from Keade, he still struggled on the longer words, but this was simple, she wondered if whoever had written it had kept it that was on purpose. She looked at the note first and then she could open the present, she could not help but feel excited at what was happening.

_Little miko, if you wish for no payment  
>I shall simply return that which belongs to you.<br>Please accept this offering as a gift if nothing else.  
>I will be seeing you soon.<br>Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Lands._

The Taiyoukai she healed was a noble after all, and not just any noble, but the Western Lord. He was known to rule with an iron fist and apparently hated humans much more so than other demons. The package was even more intriguing to her now, it contained 'that which belonged to her' and a present. She had received a gift from the human hating Lord of the West as a thank you, yes; she could accept that, there was nothing wrong with receiving presents after all; she could almost pretend they were old friends.

Tearing into the present she found the most beautiful kimono she had ever laid eyes on. Her family could never have afforded something like this, the material it was made out alone was enough to feed her family for an entire week. She held it up carefully, stupidly afraid that it would break or some other foolish idea like that were she to hold it too tightly. This was indeed a spectacular gift, and it felt right to receive it as a present, for to receive a reward would be like putting a price on a life, and that just felt wrong.

As she picked it up and it fell gracefully to the floor something else fell out of its folds. She held it aside to see the thing that was returned to her. Inushasta lay on the bed next to the where the dress had been laid, and although she had dropped him in the forest he was not at all muddy. Someone had washed and dried him, even the fake fur around him to give him his authentic appearance looked as if it had been combed.

5 minutes later she was dressed in the kimono and dancing around her room, holding Inushasta by his forepaws, twirling the two of them around, pretending they were a dancing duo. Inushasta, although it was said was her closest friend, the only one whom she shared absolutely everything. He was one person she could count on to never spill her secrets to anyone, and he was always on her side, he was her constant and was whatever she needed him to be, most of the time that was warm comfort and companionship.

She carried on dancing blissfully unaware of the figure who had been standing in the darkened corner of the room, unseen, but always watching. He was amused by the sight of the dancing girl and the strange level of happiness she received just from getting her stuffed toy dog back. Seeming as it was not even alive it made little sense to him why she should be so glad to have it. But he reminded himself that she was a child after all, and he would never truly understand ningen female children, being a Taiyoukai he never had to until now.

Eventually, he decided to make himself known to the human girl still dancing in her room with her toy, in the brand new kimono he wore. He could see he did get the measurements right, not that he had feared he had not and his fit her perfectly. She looked so graceful, not like a child at all, older, more mature, a young woman despite her few years. And even though she was dancing with childlike, unprofessional twirls, it was like looking at an exquisite piece of art, it seemed as though his present had been well received.

"I can see you like my little gift," he noted in a quite low tone from the corner of the room. He gave her quite a scare as was his intention and she jumped around startled at the sudden words, with a stifled scream on her lips. His appearance had not been expected, though he had been here since before she came back from her friends. He had intended to leave the note and present and go, but had decided he wanted to see her once more. He did so like seeing how his gifts, and the ones he gave out were few and far between were received.

Her reaction was satisfying, and he had never given a child a gift before and he guessed that she was what humans would describe as 'cute'. He truly planned to leave then and come back in five days to collect her, that was why he had left the note to say what he could not face to face. That is why he had said he would see her soon, and did not mean five minutes later. He had not planned to make his location known to her.

But he for some reason already felt an affinity for the girl and for reasons he did not understand loathed to be parted from her. True he owed her a great debt, wanted to take her in, and planned to, but it was something about her pure soul and heart that called to his darkened one and he wanted to make it his own. When he saw her dancing like that and saw how well the kimono went with her, even clutching a toy dog seeming to fit in with the image was the last straw. She was so childlike, so innocent... and she bore his family symbol now, signalling to all who she belonged to, yes, that did indeed finish the look.

The only thing that was wrong with her knowing he was here and was watching her was that she stopped dancing. After she got over the shock she smiled a small smile of gratitude and nodded, "hai Sesshoumaru Sama, thank you for the gift. It is the most beautiful thing I own now; I shall be the most envied girl of Japan with this!" He should hope so that it was nice, it did belong to him after all, well it belonged to her, but now she was a part of his house, and he ruled his house and kingdom, nobody else, and now that included her.

"Sesshoumaru," he corrected immediately. As part of his pack she did not have to address him using his title or the proper respect, it would not do. In time perhaps she would learn to refer to him with more endearment, but for now the drop of the honorific would do. "You do not have to call in my title when we are alone, Sesshoumaru."

Kagome grinned for real at the honour of being so familiar with him despite not knowing him well at all. "And it fits me perfectly," she continued, giving a twirl, "it makes me look beautiful." He assessed her measurements with a single look, so it was not hard to make to size. After he decided he wanted her in his pack, all that was needed was a single look to take in her size and draw up images of what would suit her.

Her scent too was taken in with a single whiff, being a dog demon, a Taiyoukai one at that it was his speciality. But it was a unique one anyway, awfully clean and fresh, so not as strong as he'd like, it made her slightly harder to find, but nice. It was very sweet, that was immediately noticeable, sweeter than what was natural, but it was not overbearing or even out of place for her. Her smell was like honey and cherry blossoms and apples all mixed together, all natural components to her scent, yet so unnatural too.

"Indeed, you look awfully graceful in that kimono," he agreed with a small nod of his head in appreciation. "You look... more mature, older shall we say, and it swirls around you perfectly when you are dancing," he added. That was no lie, though she obviously did not know how to dance, the kimono was incredibly graceful with it and distracted you from the fact that there was no complicated footwork going on or anything.

She turned a little red at the thought of being caught, but quickly pushed it aside, not bothering to linger on what was passed. "And you returned Inushasta to me, I was thought he was lost for good, and was thinking I would have to scour the woods for him, but you brought him back. He means an awful lot to me so thank you." She hugged the little dog close to her chest as if she had been reunited with an old friend, not a toy. And the way she talked about it, as if it was a real thing with thoughts and feelings. He would never understand that simplistic yet complex cognitions of a ningen child. "If you do not mind me asking, Sesshoumaru, how did you know this was my room, you have never been here before?"

"It was not that hard, after all, when you are an Inu Taiyoukai, you just follow your nose, quite literally. You have a scent like fresh air, honey, blossoms and apples; it is unique if not strong and so very easy to follow. Your scent is strongest here in this room, and it is filled with books and clothes your size, it was an educated guess it belonged to you. It is rather faint though, you have not been here since this morning. I was going to leave the present, but decided to stay to see whether or not you liked it."

"Well I love it, it is spectacular, and must have caught a fortune." Well of course, it would not do to see a child I have taken under my wing, traipsing about in the Western Palace dressed the rags that you are currently adorned in. As her alpha now he was to provide for her, and being the Western Lord came with its perks for her too, this meant she would wear and eat nothing but the finest from now on. She would be taught by the best, have the best protection and of course have a room large enough to dance around properly.

It seemed she had the right figure and flexibility for dancing; perhaps he could organize dancing lessons for her as well. He was a good dancer though, seeming as she was his pup he should take the responsibility for at least some of her lessons. That decided it then, from now on, along with her normal lessons of reading and writing he would teach her dancing as well. He was already impressed she could read even a little from the note he left. She was learned, though not taught, so she was an incredibly smart child.

Of course he knew this from the knowledge she'd expressed when healing him. She was commendable with her healing abilities and he would have to find a miko or holy man to teach her more once they were back home seeming as she was already powerful and would grow to be more so as she grew older. She was undiscovered at the moment, only beginning to tap into her power and completely unaware of her true potential. As she was only 10 summers, this pointed out another thing to him, she was a fast learner.

This meant he could school her in all the ways he wished to and not have to worry about overbearing her. He could teach her the basic literacy skills and then move onto what he knew of the maths and sciences. Perhaps he could teach her of history and take her travelling so she could learn more of the world and different cultures. As his pack it would not do to have her ignorant of combat either – wait, he was getting ahead of himself. Everything would come in time, for now though, he wanted to see her dance once more.

"Please do not let my presence overbear you or anything," he nodded, stepping back. "Do continue your dance if you wish to, it was captivating in its own way this Sesshoumaru shall admit, and the kimono adds to the flare of the dance."

"Well I cannot dance when someone is watching."

He smiled a small smile, "well then how about we dance together?" He suggested, locking his hands with hers and twirling her around once to show her. "You will find that I dance quite well, let me lead you, the man after all, always leads." He was not really giving her a choice seeming as she had already locked hands with her so she smiled once more and nodded. He had already started to twirl her around the small room.

They danced until her legs were sore, each enjoying the simple movements for their own reasons, Kagome for the excitement and novelty of it, Sesshoumaru to wrap his aura around that pure white heart and soul like he had never seen before. He left to allow her to sleep through the window without a word and sped off back to his castle. There were five more days of preparation to do, and then he would come back for her.


	7. Danger accompanies protection

**Chapter 7 – Danger accompanies protection**

Kagome was sitting in her room plating with Inushasta and Kohaku when it happened. It was a game they played often because it lifted Kagome's morale tremendously. Kohaku was a little boy in trouble and has to rely on strong Kagome and her warrior canine steed to save him from various enemies. These sorts of uplifting games helped her to forget the truth that she was a weak girl who was always relying on others to dash to her rescue, even Kohaku who was younger than she. They were fun while they lasted, but reality would soon kick in, and when it did so, it kicked hard and her make believe refuge crumbled to nothing.

It crumbled with a cry from the villagers that echoed through the huts like a quickly spreading madness. "DEMON! DEMON! DEMON! HELP!" The panic seemed to seize the village like a dark hand, pulling it into the deepest circles of havoc. Kagome was reminded of mind sickness seeing her village reduced to this pitiful state. One moment you seem perfectly fine and no one would suspect a thing and then the next thing you know you a just a raving lunatic. You are unable to think straight, or form coherent sentences.

She had seen someone descend into it before. Suddenly you are doing crazy things you've never even dreamed of before. You are shouting things at the top of your lungs that the sick mind for some reason deems vitally important but the ravings make no sense. You do not even understand what it is you are doing or saying. It is imprisonment, confined to your mind, the most effective and invisible prison there is and no one can get you out, forced to just watch the world pass you by. The mere thought was enough to give her nightmares.

It was like a spell or a curse, but it was nobody's fault. All you could to was pray for the Kamis to end it and stick by them, and never give up hope. This was what fear was, not being scared, but what her village was experiencing now – true terror. Everyone had had a brush with a demon before, or heard about people meeting demons before; no one knew Kagome was among the number. None of the encounters had been pleasant and more often than not ended in death or injury, it was always chaos and somebody experiencing some amount of pain.

Kagome once again called upon her only redeeming feature. She had an excellent memory and it made her clever, the only thing she could do was study seeming as too much physical exertion was too much for her to handle. She remembered every word out of everyone who taught her mouths, especially Keade who was her main tutor. And everything that happened around her brought back memories of her teachings so clearly it was as if she was there, speaking to her once more. Again she was reminded of when she nursed that Taiyoukai back to health.

It was as if Keade was next to her telling her how to test whether somebody is alive or not, and how strong a heartbeat and pulse should be to be considered safe when she first found him lying there so lifeless and helpless. It was Keade who had first told her that things were not always as they appear which was why Kagome had checked to make sure in the first place. Sure enough, as always Keade had proven to be correct. She held her hand while she healed the Taiyoukai with her miko powers, telling her what do next and how, and told her she was proud of her afterwards, stroking her hair as she fell asleep on his fluffy boa. She taught her how to warp bandages and apply salve and without her, Sesshoumaru would never have made it.

It was the same with Souta; he walked with her every step of the way telling her what she needed to do next when she treated him. First you must set up a fire, kindling first, then the big wood, that's it, well done Kagome, next you must catch food, fish is the easiest. If you set the traps up right they will swim right into them and no work from you is even needed. This way, you do not need to do any tracking or foraging and can get quality food quickly and easily. It is good meat too, you can even eat it raw but it does not taste half as good.

The fear of the village brought back another memory of Keade's continuous teachings. No matter how crazy the ravings sound to you, you must always listen. Mind sickness is practically impossible to understand and heal, so it was vitally important to listen just in case you are given a clue to the source of the problem. Well she was listening right now and for once the source of the problem was quite clear and behind it the implications of that called for the fear that caused the mind sickness symptoms: there was a demon in the village = danger.

Kohaku jumped off where he was sitting on her bed and was out of her room and hit within a heartbeat. He dashed across the ground like a cheetah, weapon in hand determined to be the warrior he was too young to fulfil. Kagome followed before her overprotective family could hold her back. No way was she going to hide under her bed like the frightened child she was while a demon rampaged her village. She may not be able to do much to help but that was beside the point, she could not let her loved ones defend her now. Guilt twisted in her heart, she would have never left him to die, but if demons were not going to be responsible for her loved ones getting hurt... Sometimes you have just got to ask yourself what's more important.

They all thought she was nothing but a weak little girl and they may be right, but she had much strength to accompany her weaknesses. She had pride and honour, and they made her do many things that she would have otherwise dismissed. Her pride and honour had gotten her into a lot of trouble recently, and she was pretty sure they were not meant to impair her judgement. Still, she was reminded yet again of the Taiyoukai she healed, it seemed she would never be free of the memory and that choice. Those strengths were speaking to her again now: she was not going to hide while her loved ones were out there fighting.

Kohaku, though a lot bigger than her, Kagome had always been tiny, was a whole 6 months younger. He was strong though, and brave and protective and very capable, but the fact still remains. In his village of the slayers you are not able to join the army and fight demons until you are 11 years old. However the now 9 year old was a fighting prodigy just like his sister and was capable of fighting – and killing just as any other from his village. They were lucky indeed that Kagome's slayer friends were visiting; they may have a chance now. On the other hand, that meant there were more people she loved on the battlefield in danger.

Sango and Miroku were out there too, both exceptional fighters of course, and exceptional friends. Her family was not going to shy away either, Kikyou and Souta were also at the ready, weapons in hand, even her father, whose age had not been kind to him. And Hojo, a loving boy of 13 years who had never had any training was ready and willing to fight. All the people she loved were out there prepared to lay down their life, for those who could not fend for themselves, for people like her. There was no way she could sit back and watch a battle take place around her, people could die because she was too weak.

She ran after Kohaku's vanishing form, hoping after hope that she would get there in time to... what? That thought made her stop and think, what exactly was she planning to do when she reached Kohaku and/or the demon? There was no way she could fight, she did not have a weapon and had little knowledge of how to use one although she sometimes stole Kikyou's bow and arrows and practised with them.

That left her priestess heritage to rely on. She had next to no miko powers and she was not trained with them, she seldom even used them, and when she did it was to heal, always to heal. That power, and she was ready to reveal them if it meant she could save a life or relieve the suffering of one of the villagers protecting her was no use until after the battle had passed. She was not even sure whether a battle was even taking place, she just assures herself there was because there was a demon in the village and everyone was grabbing their weapons. The Taiyoukai she met had turned out to be not all bad though, in the end. It must just be the stories you are told that makes you label all youkai as evil and instils fear.

If she got there she would not fight, so why was she in such a rush? Frankly she was not sure she had it in her to harm anyone, even demons, so she would not attack the threat, she was far too pure hearted to even try, and she knew that. That was why she had healed that Taiyoukai that night, because there was no way she could stand to see a being hurt, she definitely could not inflict it. Now as fate would have it, a Taiyoukai was in their village now, she could hear it had human form from the fear crazed cries of the villagers, Karma had to _really _hate her. Still, here she was running to the source of the cries, could it be that she was just like the excitable boys in the village? She wanted a source of frightening, exhilarating entertainment that at this moment happened to come from an imminent fight with a Taiyoukai.

Once she reached the centre of the village she was relieved to find that there was no fighting going on... yet. They had organized themselves into ranks, slayers at the front, warriors in the next row and able bodied fighters next. The villagers who could not fight such as the young mothers, the elderly, the sick and young children like her were all huddled behind receiving the maximum protection. The boys were trying to get closer to see, and deep down she wanted to see too, not that she'd admit the weird excitement she felt to anyone, because feeling such things in times of such danger to the ones she cared about was just wrong.

She spotted Erie and Yuka nearby to her left and made her way over to them. They were like the boys and wanted the excitement too. They greeted her with a nod and nervous, almost ashamed smiles, their thoughts were practically identical to hers, they always had been which were why they became firm friends at an early age. As long as a battle was not actually raging before their eyes a smile would remain on their faces and they would remain as happy as the situation would allow, a liberty given to young children.

She glanced worriedly at the ranks of villagers before her who had somehow suddenly turned into soldiers. Sango and Miroku were at the front along with the other skilled fighters, and they were no longer her friends, but hardened warriors, different people. Kikyou and Souta were in the second rank having been training since they were younger than her. She could barely recognize her own siblings, gone were the happy smiles on their faces, the expression had been replaced by a fierce determination that only battle could entice on their faces.

Even little Kohaku had been allowed to fight in the third rank of villagers although he wanted to be at the front, given a few years time was this to happen again he would be. Her father and Hojo both were in the third row, and Kagome had to wonder why and how it was they were allowed to fight. Surely they were persuaded to stay behind and be protected along with her. Was every able bodied individual truly needed for one Taiyoukai. ? Yes she understood they were powerful, but were they truly that omnipotent everyone from two villages were fighting? Sango's village was renowned for their skill, and still _everyone _was encouraged to fight?

"Come on Kagome," Yuka whispered to her, "let's go see what is going on," she said, already bored with the lack of action. She grabbed her hand and took off after Erie who had already disappeared off, and just like that the small group of girls melted into the surrounding trees. Young children were always underestimated, allowing them to slip past adults unnoticed, purely because they believed they did not have the guts to do it. The girls would probably be back again before anyone even noticed they had vanished.

As they trio were jogging around the perimeter of the village, Kagome hugged Inushasta closer and closer to her. Once more she wished he was some sort of warrior steed. That meant that she could actually be of some use and the ghastly job did not have to be left to her loved ones. Practically all of the people she deeply cared about were ready to fight and could get hurt. If she was a warrior then... but that was just it, 'if', because that was not the reality and she knew it. It was about time to get her head out of the clouds and start to embrace what was real, but she was sick of the harsh truth, it was so much easier to run away from those problems and forget. Though without reality they would be no make believe.

Inushasta was not reality, he was only a warrior beast in her mind and she was not actually a fighter, but a weak little girl and Inushasta was her stuffed toy. Her being free of her weakness and ailments was not reality either. As if on cue, brought on by some cruel Kami's sense of humour, all of a sudden a bolt of pain shot up her spine. There was searing pain in her head, it was as if her skull had been shattered and there were one thousand needles rammed into her brain. The pain was tremendous but not unfamiliar and sadly not unlike anything she had faced before, what doesn't kill you means you will have to endure yet more torture.

She gave a cry of pain as she fell to her knees, bringing Yuka who was still holding onto her hand to make her keep up with her to the forest floor. She did not know what it was this time; it could be any number of things. It could be the onset of flu or a migraine. It could even just be a random flash of pain it would not be weirdest thing that's happened to her. What she did know was that it hurt like hell like everything else her curse ad she liked to call it threw her way. She tried not to complain too much about it, ever, it made her seem even weaker, as Kikyou once said, when life throws you lemons, shut up and eat your damn lemons.

"Kagome, are you alright?" Her friend asked her worriedly, grabbing her other arm and pulling her to her feet with Yuka's help. "What in the world just happened?" She asked but did not wait for an answer, and Kagome did not offer one. She did not know, it had always been like that and everyone knew it, her curse – her weakness. Every day it was unexplained bolt of pain that were over as suddenly as they came but were so intense they left you shaking for hours. Continuously she was falling ill while your friends and family live life and experienced the world around your bed ridden form, occasionally coming to visit. That was her life in a nutshell, ever since she could remember that was what it had been like.

Nobody understood her or her crappy life at all though they all tried, and the only way they dealt with it was to lock her away and not let her take part in anything, protectiveness blown out of proportion, care giving way to OCD. Her friends though her age were too young to take this into account and linger on her friend, because there was excitement ahead. There was only room for one drastic event in the children's mind at once and right now Kagome was glad it was not her, though the alternative was not much better, a Taiyoukai, one that quite possibly posed a very dangerous threat to all she knew and loved.

So they carried on, jogging forward at a steady pace, Inushasta tucked protectively into her top, arms clasped by her excited friends. When they were close enough they came forward silently but stayed just behind the tree line. All three hid behind a huge oak and peeked round it so they could see what was going on. Miko Keade stood in front of the other villagers hoping to prevent a battle, a wise move from the wise woman. She was the only one who had not drawn her weapon which was identical to Kikyou's in a sign of peace, though she was prepared to fight and create a protective barrier around her people.

In front of her stood the demon and upon looking at him all of her friends took a sharp intake of breath at his handsome physique. She gasped too, but for different reasons, as breathtaking as he was, he was also dangerous. This was one thing she did not like about her friends, while she noticed what was important – his claws, fangs and muscles, they saw his hair, eyes and height; this was not time and no being to be fantasizing about.

Keade bowed low to the ground in respect and fear. Their village combine with the slayers especially was strong when they all joined together, but Kagome feared even that was not enough to defeat this Taiyoukai. Even if it was, they would all be badly hurt; it would not be without casualties, maybe even sacrifices. Oh yes, a rational solution had to be tried first, it must be possible for this demon to be reasoned with. "Greetings," Keade started, and then rose to her height to be one the only humans brave enough to look him in the eyes, "and what bring ye to our humble village, Sesshoumaru sama, Lord of the Western Lands."


	8. Protect your own

**O.K. so now things get really interesting and next chapter is not for Kikyou lovers. Sorry and all, I just don't like her very much and always thought of her as a bit of an evil whore really going from Naraku to Inuyasha and stealing Kagome's shards and giving them to him and all. Well, all that is next chapter, enjoy this one. Sesshoumaru is nicer and more honourable than you all thought. Read and review everybody!**

**Chapter 8 – Protect your own**

Kagome froze at the sight of him standing there. Of all of the demons that could have come along, why in the seven hells did it have to be this one? Easily seven foot tall, muscle bound and the owner of a set of extremely sharp fangs and claws, he radiated power. She was not even including his swords and superior fighting skills; for she knew he had them. He was a good dancer too, probably courtesy of the fighting, for to her, fighting always seemed akin to dancing, but she would put that bit of information aside for now.

She was no longer as afraid of him as she used to be, who would be? He had upset and frightened her when they first met of course, but that had subsided now. Then there was the present, returning her good friend Inushasta to her, and the dancing too, which was still kind of confusing but it had also been kind of nice. But the fear of a Taiyoukai could never fade, and no amount of dismissing stories as a child got rid of the plain facts. She was a miko, and he was literally the killing perfection, Kagome was in no doubt that he was more than capable of killing her entire village in the blink on an eye, but he had no reason to – right?

Suddenly she fell to the ground once more, clutching her head in pain. But this pain seemed different to what she was used to. It was not like an illness, more like queasiness, a feeling of severe uncertainty and pain. It was like a warning, Kagome struggled to remember Keade's teachings upon discovering the girl was a miko, for deep inside, Kagome had a feeling her powers had something to do with this.

Mikos are the opposite of Youkai, powerful ones the opposite to Taiyoukai, so your aura flares with their presence. It is almost like a battle of power before one of fighting really begins, like you're judging each other up. Youkai are not idiots even if they are powerful and will most likely slink away if they do not think they can defeat you, and they are not heartless. They will not kill humans just because of what they are, despite what the stories say, although it might differ for a miko. To flare at a demon, erect a barrier and shoot out your aura to engulf his, and to conceal your presence or resign you draw back into yourself.

Not wanting to become a demon snack, she concealed her presence. Once her aura was not being suffocated by that of a Taiyoukai, the headache subsides and she let go of her head. Clutching tightly onto the arms' of the friends she set to watching the standoff between her village and the demon. She could not help but wonder what Lord Sesshoumaru was doing so far from home. His palace was in the centre of the Western Lands, whereas her village was on the border of the Northern Province. If they were to ever to a visit from a Taiyoukai, surely it would be from the Wolf Prince Kouga sama, and not this dog demon.

"This Sesshoumaru has not come to harm you," he stated in his quiet, deep voice, speaking slowly in a tone that was eerily calm and despite its volume, heard by all. There was an audible sigh of relief from everyone, including her and her friends, and Kagome let go of the arms she was clutching. Although the ranks facing the demon, that is to say, Sesshoumaru sama, were calmer now and the muscles of her village were not all tensed up for battle, no weapons were sheathed. The distrust though was deep set and so understandable, and thankfully, not seen as impudence from the more than deadly killing perfection.

"I have come however to acquire something from your village," he continued, not addressing the miko anymore, but the whole crowd, seeming as it concerned everyone. The crowd quickly set to wondering what it was that the demon Lord could possibly want. They could not provide him with clothing or food or a weapon that would be good enough for him; surely he had all of that sort of stuff anyway. He did not keep them in suspense much longer as he came to the point of why he was paying their particular village such an unexpected visit, "I have come for a girl," he stated, his face as stoic and voice as monotonous as ever.

The declaration was short and blunt, and the response of shock was evident on everyone's faces. The words fell like bombshells on the ears of her village and though surprised, no one bar Kagome seemed to actually have the expression of horror on their faces. She had not thought such an outlandish request was possible to come from such an egotistical Taiyoukai for whom pride and honour meant everything.

He had said himself that he hated humans, that he hated her because of it and that the only reason he was not killing her was because she happened to be a child. Surely stealing a young women from her village, no matter how poor and insignificant it happened to be would sully his good name and reputation. It did not seem possible; bringing up the night of the gift sand the dancing and just plain how regal he looked. Could it really be true that her Taiyoukai was in fact a good for nothing maiden snatcher? And coming to think of it, since when had she started to refer to the cold Lord Sesshoumaru as _her _anything anyway?

It was clear her village wanted to burst into a frenzy, but as it was, nothing was said. It was after all very possible they had misinterpreted the demon's words, he did not say much after all, so what he did say probably had many meanings. They did not want to initiate a battle against such a formidable opponent when there was any chance it could be avoided, for if he got very angry, Kagome was sure there would be no survivors. Kagome looked from face to face of the villagers in the centre of the huts in ranks and saw the fear on their faces; everyone was thinking the same thing and they were in turmoil over their decision.

On one hand they did not want to surrender one of their own over to a Taiyoukai. Yet on the other hand he looked very serious about this. If it came to bloodshed then nobody would make it out of the battle alive except for Sesshoumaru and possibly the poor girl he decided to take with him. Would it really be so bad for the young woman who had to go? When it came down to it, surrendering one life was surely better than surrendering the one hundred and thirty that would be forfeited otherwise. And those hundred and thirty included children and babies, it included Kikyou and Souta and her parents and Sango and Miroku and Kohaku and Hojo and Keade and Erie and Yuka, it was not really a choice at all.

Keade took on her role as spokesperson immediately to defuse the situation. Tension was rising high and hands were clasping over female shoulders protectively. Kagome realized with no small amount of jealousy that the first person people focused on was Kikyou, a beautiful, strong, unmarried woman. She loved her sister she really did, they were family after all and she could not help but love her, even when she put down by her and she received to teach her anything like Souta did. She meant no offense or anything, but she doubted the demon would choose her, and if he did, that Kikyou would mind that much.

"Please go on Sesshoumaru sama," Keade invited, hoping like everyone else he did not mean what he seemed to. Kagome struggled to think of what he could possibly mean instead and it seemed that the Taiyoukai was feeling the same thing, and he glared at her as if to say, 'what else is there to say?' seeming as the village wanted him to spell it out for them once more he decided to humour them. After all he had not come for any girl, and he could see how they huddled around the young woman, he had come for someone particular.

"I would have thought my request did not require much more elaboration but it seems you desire it all the same. Very well, I have come to retrieve that which I have claimed as mine and then I shall be gone and you shall not hear from us again. Bring before me the child miko," he ordered, he did not think he would have to say anything more. Surely they would know what he meant, yet by their blank looks, it was not promising.

Kagome however, knew exactly who he was talking about and her breath caught in her throat. No, it could not be, he wanted her? Why did he want her to go with him? And what was with you will never hear from us again? Keade too knew who he meant though she did not know how he knew, well she did now actually – it was all falling into place. She said she had run into a demon a week ago and that he had scared her. Her miko powers had been exhausted the next day because when she went to train with her she had not been much of a student like she usually was. To top it all off she had been traumatised by the whole ordeal for hours.

"What are you talking about?" Kikyou questioned, not even bothering to be respectful, she was too confused and seeming as this demon had said he was not there to hurt anyone she refused to be afraid. "You must have the wrong village, we do not have any child mikos here, there is only Keade, and you cannot have her." She sounded confident and Kagome could not help but wince, it would be her who would deny her existence. She did want to keep her powers a secret, but for some reason it still hurt to hear it from her.

"So she is undiscovered," he sounded amused, "just as I surmised." He was staring directly at her, mildly surprised by the fact she averted her eyes. He could tell by her scent she was related to Kagome and she showed no fear towards him, so how interesting it was that her sister although confident in voice was betrayed by her eyes. How interesting too that it was this girl, a relation that did not know of her. Yet the miko knew, the old one, Keade she had been called, she could tell by the suspicious and calculated look.

"I have no desire for the old one," he continued, "I desire the child miko like I said. I believe she goes by the name of Kagome, Kagome Higurashi." It was such a strange and frightening demand, why did he want her? Kagome felt her friends' hands tighten on her shoulders, but not a sound was made so as not to give away their position. Erie and Yuka loved their friend dearly and she had become closer to them so recently, they loathed for her to be taken away.

The village can defend her alright, well they could do the best they can, but they would look after her too and defend her to the best of their ability with whatever they could manage. It was their duty as friends to keep her safe and if this Taiyoukai meant her harm then there was no way he was reaching her, it was as simple as that. They wanted to say 'don't worry' and 'there is nothing to fear', but they did not like to lie to those who trusted them, so Erie and Yuka kept silent, and just held her shoulders reassuringly.

"Be quick to carry out my orders ningens," he commanded in his authorative voice when no one responded to carry out his bidding, "or do you dare to defy the Lord of the West? I will not stand for impudence, you will do as I say or you shall face my wrath. Hurry up, I warn you now that I do not take kindly to being kept waiting." He growled low in his throat for good measure, ningens could be awfully stupid, but they all knew a threat when they heard one.

"And I do not take kindly to some demon coming into my village and staking claim to _my _daughter!" Her father fought hr way to the first rank of villagers who had tensed for battle once more. He stalked forward and stared at the demon in his eyes, unafraid, well he was afraid but he masked it well. Kagome felt a huge swell of pride and love in her heart for her father in that moment when he stood up to someone he could not possibly ever match. He was obviously intimidated by Sesshoumaru, the Taiyoukai practically called for it, but he overcame his fear and rare show of confidence came shining through in defence of his daughter. Kagome sighed and her shoulders drooped; now why couldn't he always be like that?

Sesshoumaru fixed the man that dared defy him and deny him what was his with an icy amber eyes stare. He was an unintimidating man of about 35 years old, well built, tall enough, muscled enough, and healthy. He was physically able that much was obvious, so was it just idleness that prevented her from being safe? No, he did not seem like the idle type, or apathetic, so that just left incompetence, well what could one expect from a mere ningen? He was not especially good looking either, though he was not sure exactly why he was taking that into account. But in a glance his short brown hair and boring brown eyes really held no comparison to himself. Ah yes, that was the reason why he was doing this. He was proving to the girl that he was the better choice in absolutely every aspect one could pick up on.

Unremarkable. That was the only word he could us to describe anyone in this ghastly, anyone but her of course, his little miko. Thinking of said little miko, where was she? He could not smell her scent or detect her aura anywhere. A grunt brought him back to the pressing matter at hand and he turned his attention back to the man who seemed to be brandishing a stick at him. It was less dangerous than a twig; it would not even frighten Jaken. To emphasize his point he reached forward and took the offending 'weapon' from his hands with no more than a yank with practically no effort behind it. With a flick of his wrist and fingers, the stick lay in two halves at his feet, he could safely say, unremarkable was a compliment.

No words were needed and the man shrank back with a whimper, confidence fleeing him when no one came to his defence. So he valued his own life over that of his youngest child, a strong alpha should choose his pups' lives over his own, in fact any alpha should do so. What next were these unremarkable humans going to try? It seemed as though they protected their own, although not as fiercely as he would like and only when danger was presented.

He bet they did not even know where she was, he could use that to his advantage. "Seeming as I have now demonstrated that it would be in your best interests to talk about this situation rationally; perhaps you could tell me where the little miko is. It seems as though she is not among your number, surely you have not lost her again already?" that go their attention and immediately many people broke out of their ranks in order to shout the girls name and look for her. He found with a surprising burst of disdain that the majority of those looking for her were males – males who were around her age, suitors.

When Kagome heard herself being called for she did answer but shrank back into her friends hands. She heard them state they she should probably run for it but she just did not have the guts to do so. It would probably be in her best interests to just leave, but did not want to venture off into the unknown and dangerous woods with no one but Inushasta to keep her company. She just was not that brave and was not that strong.

Then suddenly Sango was charging at him with Kohaku. Well Sango was charging at him while trying to keep her brother back at the same time. She threw her boomerang at him but he smoothly sidestepped it as one would sidestep a pebble. His eyes did widen though and Kagome thought that he was at least mildly impressed by her friend's agility and strength. As the boomerang came circling back to Sango, Sesshoumaru quickly struck at it with his claws, causing a huge and scratch down the side of it that would take days to repair.

Growling at the impudence of the human girl who decided to attack him, and would have succeeded had he been concentrated on anything else, he snarled at her in warning. Undeterred, Miroku joined in with the fray and advanced with his staff, swinging blindly at him. Sesshoumaru countered with a sword, and just like that Kagome was captured by the deadly beauty of it all. The footwork and the lightening quick strokes captured her. Sesshoumaru she could see with but one look was vastly more skilled than Miroku, and had several chances to strike possibly fatal blows to the young man. But he did not, could it be that he had too much honour to hurt him as much as he had said he hated humans and would kill them on sight?

The fight was stopped when Sesshoumaru, seemingly bored, disarmed him. Holding the staff in one hand out of reach and pinning the monk with his sword held in his other hand; he looked at him in a disapproving manner. "Your footwork is commendable, but the swordsmanship, despite this being a staff is sloppy. You fight like my half brother, charging wildly and not caring for consequences or watching your opponent laving you vulnerable. No, you are all incapable of looking after her anyway, bring her before me, now."

Suddenly he heard the young woman who had first attacked him stalk him, getting steadily closer, her damaged weapon at the ready. "Take one more step slayer," he said lowly, sword still pointing at Miroku, "and I will run him through." The monk gulped and he did not even have to turn around to see that the slayer had stopped advancing, torn as to what she could do. Everyone else, fearing for the young monk's life had also frozen.

His threat however, spurred Kagome into action, and tearing away from the hold of her friends, burst from the tree line and into the clearing. In fear before, she had unknowingly been hiding her scent and aura so Sesshoumaru was unable to detect her. Fear evaporating now and giving way to distress and anger, her hold over herself vanished. As she strode into the village, her friends horrified at her giving herself away, Sesshoumaru was suddenly very aware of her. He could see her, hear her, smell her and was engulfed by her aura.

"Leave him alone!" She shouted when she was about 10 paces to his left. "Leave him alone, he has not done any wrong to you!" He looked at the tiny human from the corner of his eye and smirked at her. He actually had no intention of hurting the young monk; he was in fact impressed with his abilities and desires to protect the young miko. He had not thought for a moment though that his threat would not only halt the village but draw her out too. This was an interesting development indeed, so she knew how to conceal herself. Had the young miko been there hiding just behind the tree line the entire time?

Well now he had finally found her he did not feel like wasting any more time.


	9. Help?

**So yeah, Kikyou does not have a main part in this story, and the bits she is in; she is a bit of a bitch. I personally do not like Kikyou, sorry for her fans, I just don't like her at all, and I enjoy stories with major Kikyou bashings. I don't hate her enough to bash her badly, but my dislike for her shines through. Anyway, I love Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, and I hate the whole 'die half breed' thing so their hate for one another is not strong in this fic and only gets lighter as it progresses, you will see why, so sorry for those who love them killing each other. Well enjoy and REVIEW!**

**Chapter 9 – Help? **

Sesshoumaru looked at the girl standing before him in wonder. Her soul seemed to shine through her skin, blinding him, lighting his darkened heart, calling to him. So she cared for everyone, that was a way to guarantee her cooperation if she was ever too free with him in the future. If she was too disrespectful or disobedient, then he could threaten someone. He would never actually hurt someone just to spite another, namely her, she may learn that one day too. He did not want to hurt her either, but she was but a child for now.

Her face was red and tears were threatening to spill in fear for the monk. Her eyes kept flicking from his terrified face to the sword at his throat. With a wordless and humorous smile he sheathed his sword and pushed the monk away from him. "Very well," he granted, not wanting their relationship to start with him killing a friend of hers. The boy quickly shuffled back and joined the slayer by her side. The whole village looked on in amazement as not only a Taiyoukai showed a young monk who dared attack him mercy, but did so, on the whim of a child.

Kagome rushed over to the boy's side to make sure he was alright, but was caught up in Sesshoumaru's arm. One arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her up to set her atop his mokomoko. The fur that represented his beast burst into life at the feel of the girl he recognized as his ward with him. Sensing she was trying to get away it wrapped itself around her, holding her firmly to his upper chest. The action shocked her so she did not immediately start to scream and in the end just decided to stay silent.

"What do you want?" She whispered into his ear, fear evident in her voice, but she kept it under control, not overreacting at all, that, he was thankful of. He did not answer though, this was not the time or place for such an explanation, and she would come to understand in time. She sensed she was not going to get any information out of him right now and fell silent. His attention turned to the rest of the village before them. They looked on in fear but acceptance, when push came to shove they could not defeat this Taiyoukai.

When Kagome was beginning to give up hope, help came from a most unlikely source, her big sister Kikyou. "Lord Sesshoumaru," she greeted with a bow, "with all the respect, please let my little sister go, what could you probably want with her?" Kagome did not really know whether or not that an insult or not but it was a fair question all the same, 'what did he want with her?' she was sure that after the Inushasta and the kimono (which she was wearing), that she would b officially out of his life and they could get about their own business.

"That is none of you concern human," was all he said.

"It is my concern because you are talking about my sister! What could you want with a child? Her miko powers! Her body! What!"

Sesshoumaru looked at in a disgusted way, "This Sesshoumaru shall forgive your words this one occasion in regards to your prejudice against demons, but do not make such ridiculous assumptions about this one again."

Kikyou back pedalled and hastily apologised. She bowed but then moved forward and placed a hand on his arm. "Please forgive me my Lord, but do not take my sister, she is the only one I have. If you must take someone then take me instead."

Sesshoumaru felt his charge's emotions flare with love for the older girl facing him but he was not fooled for a moment. He did not need to be able to smell her arousal to know just what was going through her head. The wench desired him. 'Take me instead'. It was hopeful. She wanted to be taken. 'And how do you want to be taken'. As impressive as he knew his physique to be, he did not expect a female to offer themselves to him right then and there.

"And what could you possibly offer me that I would wish?" It was a stupid question and he realized that as soon as he said it. He was not thinking, but he could not just go with the child, he wanted to do this properly. He was not beneath kidnap, and this is what this essentially was, but he would still pay the village for her, or offer them some sort of form of protection. However, he was not going to stand for some teenage girl trying to seduce him or make herself seem desirable, for in all honesty, he found her repulsive.

She was truthfully the reason why he hated the human race, females in particular. Not only did they smell and look... were not worth looking at, they did not know the meaning of refusal. He could say 'no' on thousand times and she would still come back for more. She was holding his arm now despite his glare telling her to let go. She wanted to remove the arm himself, taking it off the shoulder it was attached to while he was at it. However he did not for he knew restraint and when it was important, it was important now, after all, he was sure maiming a member of your pup's family is never a good way to start a relationship.

"I will offer you whatever you desire, much more than she could, just put my sister down." She was pressed up against him now; it seemed he was the only one in the whole village seeing through her ploy. The child was having her doubts now, she did seem awfully eager after all, though it could be seen as a desire to protect her. But he understood now, she was jealous of her sister; she wanted to have Kagome's place and a handpicked girl from the Lord of the West.

"There is nothing I want from you," he said, pushing her away from him so she stumbled, but did not fall. He dug out a small pouch of money and tossed it at her, he knew that it contained enough to feed the whole village with rice for a year, not that it was a particularly poor village. "I came for the miko child and that is all, I am sure that is sufficient to pay for her." He watched the father take the money and open it, his eyes going wide.

He could see the man was torn between wanting the money and simply selling off his youngest daughter. Sesshoumaru decided to help him make up his mind, "refuse the money and I shall take it back and the child." A dishonourable action, but it made him take the money and bow, he let her go, Sesshoumaru noticed, a little too easy. Had he been trying to take another child he was sure they would have tried to give him the same amount to have her back. Well it was best this way anyway; he hated hassle of any sort.

He noticed though as he stepped away, bringing the girl from his mokomoko and into his arms that the older girl, Kikyou was looking at him with narrowed eyes. She did not like being refused, she was not used to being refused her... services, he could feel it, or maybe he was jumping to conclusions, she just did not want to be refused him. Turning her down was inevitable, she should have known that, his dislike for her race was well known, although Kagome may force him to reconsider his views on them, she was different and he was sure there were others out there like her, such as the old miko in the village, and other pure ones – the young children.

He tried to not feel sickened at the idea of bedding that human, any human, but the disgust would not be fought down. As if he would let his family suffer such a disgrace, his father doing it was bad enough but he was not going to follow in his footsteps, there was no need for that. Though it was a point that he needed to consider, his father's choices had always confused him, but something he wanted to consider all the same. Having this child around would help him think about it and he would come to his own conclusions from there. Looking at the teenager's narrowed eyes though; he could not help but think that he had not heard the last from her.

He kicked off the ground and took to the sky, that was the quickest way to travel back. That action startled Kagome into action and she cried out for her village to help her, despite her being paid for. "Mama! Papa!" She called out, but her parents could not come forward, by picking up the pouch of money, they had accepted it, and turned away from her, to attack him now would give him the rights to strike back, and they did not want that. When her parents failed to move forward she called for her siblings "Souta! Kikyou!" The boy wanted to help, the girl could not care less, and neither had the right to do so. She called for her friends next, but they were too high in the sky and ar away for her cries to reach them now.

The village he noted were quick to getting back to their business as if he had not just paid them a visit and stolen one of their own. Never mind, it was none of his business anymore, he had acquired what he came for after all. Kagome noticed this quick readjustment to her absence too; did they not even have the decency to stand still in shock and horror as he made off with her? Feeling dejected she sank into silence and did not thrash or complain – she was resigned. The flight would last about three hours with his precious cargo strapped to his chest. Half way through the flight, despite all better judgement, Kagome fell asleep, head falling back into his mokomoko, and it tightened around her of its own accord.

Eventually they landed and Sesshoumaru made sure to touch down lightly so as not to wake her, it had been a trying day for her and she needed her rest. As soon as he touched down, he was greeted by an enthusiastic servant, the one who always greeted him and told him the news while he was away. It used to be Jaken, but he had too many other duties to attend to, and he was annoying, his voice was... he hated his voice. By enthusiastic he of course meant LOUD like he always was, but he was a good, loyal servant, so he did not like to criticize him.

"MY LORD!" He boomed in his loud, adolescent voice as he appeared, dropping out of the sky. "INUYASHA HAS RETURNED!" So that was why he was so loud, not that he was not always loud, he was not always shouting quite so loud. His little half brother had come home for the first time in three years. He did not know how to react to the news, he was not overjoyed, but he could not say he was disappointed or frustrated either. He could say there was no love lost between them but that was not strictly speaking true, he did love the whelp deep down, he just never showed it and never told anyone his true feelings either.

So he said the first thing that came to mind, "silence Ruka, you will wake her up." That was when the teenage boy got a glimpse of who he was holding in his arms. Sesshoumaru knew how this must look to him, but he also knew people had too much sense to say anything about it. He spent years insulting Inuyasha and telling everyone how he was a constant reminder of their father's mistake. Though he was admittedly always proud at how the kid held his own in every fight he got into over his very species. Then Lo and behold, he disappears for a day and returns in the evening with a human child in his arms.

He realized how low that must have sounded then. He was sounding like a protective mother over her newborn pup. "Quiet, you will wake the baby,"... ridiculous. But then, it was not all that bad really, he was simply saying what was true, he had to be quiet, or Kagome would awaken, and she needed to sleep. That pure heart could only sustain so much and it had been overworked today with the worry for her village saving of the young monk's life. It had also been struck harshly with her own sister's strange jealousy and the villager's acceptance of the money, not to mention their quick readjustment. But she would come to understand in time that he was her family now, the Western Palace was her home, and that pure heart belonged to him.

Maybe it was a good thing Inuyasha was here, he seemed to have an effect on people not many people not many possessed. Despite his status as a hanyou, Sesshoumaru was impressed with his strength and his battle prowess. Consequently he made him the general of his armies, because he was the most suited to the job. Many believed he gave him the job just because he was his brother, but that was not true, he was the best man for the job, and he did it splendidly. His return meant one thing, Ryuukotsusie was dead.

Yes, the boy had a smile and a face that people fell in love with; there was something about his childlike outlook on life and his maturity in battle that clashed to make people want to be friends with him. There was something about his sense of humour and ears as well that made people like him, despite his race. He is the boy who was friends with everyone, he was kind and non judgemental, and he wanted people to like him and they did. His carefree attitude would be good for Kagome; their mental age was about the same.

"Ruka, tell Jaken to make the final preparations to the room next to mine, and if Inuyasha has taken it for some reason as he has tendencies to, tell him it is taken." The little whelp had tendencies to take the room next to his just to spite him. That room was reserved for his pup, but in the absence of any pups, Inuyasha often took it. It was no more glamorous than his own room, but taking that room gave the impression Sesshoumaru cared about him, and he did, but only privately, no one, not even Inuyasha was ever going to know.

He did not know why he cared for this girl so much so suddenly, but he did. He wanted to shower her with gifts, and he wanted to keep her locked away at the same time. He wanted to teach her everything she could learn, but keep her sheltered from harm. He would fight for her protection valiantly, like he would fight for Inuyasha (not that he knew that, and not like the boy ever needed someone to fight for him). He liked her, and wanted to be the only one she looked up to and adored, he wanted to be adored by her.

He was the one who took her to the room, which was vacant and he was the one who tucked her into the bed there. It was far too big for just her but it was designed to be shared by two or three siblings, the first litter always slept together after all. She snuggled into the sheets though and without realizing he reached forward and caressed the side of her face, brushing stray strands back behind her ears to reveal her face.

He was not tired; he was not that protective or possessive, at least he thought was not. But the next thing he knew was that he had lain down with her, laying her across his stomach. He felt very comfortable with her with him, complete, there was nothing missing before she came into his life, but he felt more comfortable with her now than he had ever done alone. He wrapped one arm around her, pinning her small warm form to his body. It was like fitting a missing puzzle piece to himself, her soul so white, his so tainted – harmony.

He fell asleep without noticing himself drop off into the land of dreams and unknowing. He had just never felt so right, sleeping had never felt so right, he just wanted to be with her. He forgot about all the roubles and duties of the Western Lord and lands. he forgot and Inuyasha and all that had transpired that day, he even forgot about how angry his knew charge was going to be, not to mention frightened and nervous – but all would ease in time. And all that existed in that moment as he fell asleep was himself and Kagome, together.

Oh yeah, and Inushasta.


	10. Someone to care

**So, another one up for you, first chapter of 'Age of the youkai' should be up for you all soon. For now enjoy this and do not forget to review. Oh, and whoever it was who told me 6+5=11, I shall have you know that I got a B in my GCSE maths, though I did not take it onto A Level, only my brother is that clever. If I can be bothered I will read over my fiction and see if I can spot the mistake. For now if you are reading this, just know it was either a silly mistake on my part or a typo; my mathematical abilities are in no way impaired. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 10 – Someone to care**

The night was calm outside; perhaps it reflected the mood of the most powerful Lord in Japan. Kagome's night sleep was deep and undisturbed to help her recover from the ordeals of the previous light. Though the night was restful, the morning always brought along new troubles, she knew this day was only going to go downhill as soon as she opened her eyes. Kagome awoke in a room that was definitely not hers and knew the day was going to suck. Waking up in an unfamiliar place was never a good omen after all.

It took a minute for the events of the previous day to come back to her. Oh yeah, the whole kidnap thing happened, though for miko captured by a Taiyoukai, he sure treated his prisoners well. She sat up and rubbed her head, she was alone, but she had not been. She could see the imprint of another lying by her side on the sheets, and it was far too big to be Inushasta. So she had not slept alone last night, she was not sure how she felt about that, whether she was freaked out, uncomfortable, comforted, at peace, or not bothered either way.

She had always loved sleeping with another, in the same room was good, and the same bed was better still. One of her pet hates she had always had was sleeping alone, she just felt so much safer when with another, and she had always been a snuggler. She had never told her parents this, and Kikyou would scorn her for it, but Souta often lay with her in the dark night when no one would notice. She had many sleepovers with her friends, and Kohaku would sleep with her even if Hojo thought it was too inappropriate, and of course Erie and Yuka did not mind. But that was different, she knew those people, they were her friends and family, people she loved and knew with certainty she could trust.

It was different when you did not know who it was that had been laying with you. She felt the imprint with her hand, it was large, so an adult then, and most probably male, not that it mattered to her, she had not reached that stage yet and modesty was not so important as it was to her teenage sister and friends. But who was it who had decided to share her bed; it was definitely a stranger, that much she knew, but not much else.

Her mind immediately went to Sesshoumaru, the demon Lord who had taken her in the first place, but she dismissed the idea almost immediately, it was ridiculous. A proud demon Lord would not lay with a human girl, even if the intentions were more than pure and the reason just for simple sleep. Still, if it had been Sesshoumaru, then she did not know how she felt about it, but she did not hate the feeling just as she did not hate him, so her skin did not crawl at the thought. After all, sleeping together was meant to build trust, which was why she liked it so.

The whole point here was that Sesshoumaru had not actually done anything to warrant her hate. Hate was a very strong word for her and she did not throw the word around. Sesshoumaru had insulted her and hurt her feelings but had made up for it by getting her a gift and dancing with her. He had proven he did at least care partially for her and had not actually hurt her or any from her village, although he had threatened Miroku, and she doubted her ever planned to really hurt him. He had even paid the village for her, although she did not like the idea of her being passed from one to another like an object or a slave.

Yet if it had not been Sesshoumaru who slept with her then someone else had in the castle had done so. Someone else had either sought comfort from her, or felt her calling out for comfort that could only be found in another in her sleep. That person who had come to her cared about her, and that was all that she needed if she was going to be here for an indefinite amount of time, someone, anyone, just one person who cared. This showed she had at least one person and even if she did not know who they were, she felt much better.

Someone had changed her while she slept as well; she noticed that with one quick glance down at herself. She found again that she did not feel any discomfort at that fact; it was simply something that had been done, though she knew that it was definitely was not the demon Lord. If it he did care about her, perhaps a lot, she was young yes, and may be a little ignorant, but in no way was she stupid, and she was not naive enough to think that he would take on such a task himself. Nobles of such standing did not change a human girl for bed, even ones they may have grown affection for, no; such tasks were left to servants.

Servants... well a noble of his calibre was sure to have them, she reminded herself that such people did exist in the world. There were people in the world who gave away fifty golden coins as she gave away a bowl of rice. In any case, someone had been ordered to change her; maybe the same person had joined her in slumber. She was no longer wearing the kimono he gave her and instead a sleeping silken one. She wanted to stay here and close her eyes and wish the whole situation away, but that was not to be. The sun was high in the sky and she was well rested and hungry, and so it was in her best interests not to stay in bed and get up and doing things.

The wardrobe in what Kagome presumed was her room was full of kimonos, but Kagome did not want to wear any of them. Oh they were nice enough, beautiful in fact, but that was the entire problem, they were too nice, much too nice for her. She was a normal girl, from a simple village and she was used to simple yukatas, and those were hand me downs from Kikyou or Keade. Occasionally Sango would pick her up something really nice, that was who she told her parents she got the beautiful kimono from Sesshoumaru from. The fact remains, she was not good enough for her, but it was obvious they were all gifts to her.

Kagome picked out the plainest one there was, a simple orange and white chequered Kimono. They were all her size, but this one suited her and was not ostentatious like all the other ones. Yet everything about the demon Lord was expensive, and his white silken clothes were rich too. But Sesshoumaru did not act the part, or look it, he was a lord yes, but he was also a warrior, he did not look or act like a rich... well, brat really. The kimono she had picked was the only one that did not contain lots of colours as nobles liked to wear to show off their status and had their families and even their servants dress in the same manner

She picked her companion Inushasta off the bed and realized he had been washed and groomed too. She hugged him to her bosom and buried her face into his soft warm fur; something she realized had become a morning ritual for her, and sighed into the cotton body like she always did. "What am I going to do buddy?" She breathed into his fuzzy ears, knowing she would not get a response, creature made out of cotton and silk never did make reply.

She knew he did not exist in the literal sense but she still cried into him and told him everything and turned to him for comfort, always. She knew his eyes were made out of marble and that his warm body was heated through the sun and her ow body heat. She knew he could not actually offer any form of help or save her, but she longed for him, and relied on him more than anyone else, probably more than what was healthy, and certainly more than what was practical, sensible, or even sane. He was always the first one she turned to; he had been her best friend ever since she was seven. He had been a good friend before that, but it was then she really bonded with the cuddly toy, he reminded her of someone she once knew.

She picked up Inushasta and tucked him into a long pocket that had been stitched into the kimono. Like he always did, he was going to accompany her on her next adventure in this castle. He went everywhere with her and was always on her side after all, she could not venture off without her loyal warrior steed with her. The world of fantasy was after all a wonderful place to hide your worries and fears, it relieved you. She was not in danger; she and Inushasta were strong warriors like Sango and her faithful companion Kirara. They did not have time to be worried or frightened for they were on an important quest to fight and survive in the palace if the West.

It did not take her a long time of wondering down the long, winding corridors for her to get completely and utterly lost. It was a big place after all and she had no one visible nearby to help her around and tell her where to go. Still, her fist mission was to find sustenance for her and her faithful companion or they could not fight or flee should the time arise for either. The world of fantasy started to lose its grip on her so she forced herself to dive deeper into the game. She swore that even if she must starve, she must not fail her companion who had stood by her side for so many years, she would find some food for the cuddle Inu.

After to reach what looked to be a kitchen and she wandered inside, forgetting to knock, curiosity and hunger burning far too strong. As soon as she entered, four pairs of eyes locked on her, one of them was a young male demon, and the other three were females. They looked to be rabbit youkai judging by the size of their ears and front teeth, still their hair was long and silky, they were beautiful, even the man, handsome was not the right word, he was beautiful too. They all looked surprised to see her, well apart from the male who just walked over to her and looked her over, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

"You must be a new girl," he told her, cocking his eyebrow in question. That was when Kagome understood her place and why she was here. She was to be a servant, so she was to work for her keep, that was fair enough as long as it was not overbearing and her fellow working companions were good company so she would not hate every minute spent here. Kagome always was a quick learner, and the man sounded like she was expected. She just nodded, she suspected he would put her to work soon, and then she could save up money and buy her freedom so she could return to her village. Why he would take her for this was unknown to the child, but he was a Taiyoukai, and more importantly, he was an adult, and they were always confusing, why the hell would a child miko know what went through that head?

She nodded simply in agreement and waited for him to put her to work. "You are late," he told her bluntly, "you are meant to report here at the break of dawn to prepare the Lord's breakfast. I shall overlook the blunder for now though, after all you are new, and are very young, and human. The Lord's choice in new servants surprises me this one time, but it is not my place to question it. You are fortunate to be chosen by him, it is an honour not bestowed upon many humans to work for our Lord. You shall be well protected and provided for as a servant of the West, the Lord must really like you to decide to take you on here."

He put an arm around her shoulders amiably and took her into the kitchen. "My name is Packo, and I am the chief cook here. You stick by me for now and I'll teach you all you need to know and show you the ropes until you are comfortable with your work." He gestured to the other females, who were going about preparing the midday meal, "this is Amaya, Arisu and Aoi, they are sisters, all named with an 'A' just like their mother and father, I think 'A' is a family thing for them. What is your name young one?"

Kagome had never been referred to as 'young one' before and never thought she would like it. It sounded demeaning and patronizing, but she found it had the opposite effect on her. She found she liked Packo very much and hoped they became good friends in time. She had found someone who cared, someone who liked her without the need for Kagome to work very hard to gain his affections. Perhaps he would share her bed, although they were not firm friends yet, just in case whoever had slept with her the night before had been a one off occurrence. "My name is Kagome," she said quietly, with a slight bow and small smile.

"Well Kagome, you look rather hungry, so why don't we get you something to eat and then we can work out a time table for you." This rabbit was acting like a big brother to her, something Souta had tried his best to be, but failed in when he let the demon take her. Still, so far the whole ordeal had not been half bad; she had a nice room, nice clothes, had established a friend and was now eating a generous bowl of rice. No, things were not looking down for her really; dare she say she was enjoying herself just a little? She looked at Packo's smiling kindly face and decided that yes, she was enjoying herself just a little.

Once she was finished the rabbit demon explained to her what her duties were. "You have to report here at 6am every morning except Sunday which is your day off to help to prepare the Lord's morning meal. Once we have cleared it away we need to prepare the midday meal, though this is rarely more than a snack and is not required most days, as demons do not require food as often as humans do. The evening meal has to be completed by 7pm, and then you are free to pursue your own interests in the evening, there are other servants to deal with the clearing up of the evening meal. For now I'll teach you how to make my Lord's favourite dish, he requires for this to be served to him at least three times a week so it is good to know and be able to make quickly."

The rest of the morning was spent being taught the rules of the kitchen by Packo and she found the time quiet enjoyable. The downside was the amount of pay, it was very little, and it would take year, perhaps more to gather a suitable amount of money to pay for her release. If she spent nothing over that time it would take no longer than a year, maybe there were other things about the palace she could do, for one gold piece a week was not enough, for it had been at least 50 in that pouch Sesshoumaru had given to her family.

Then suddenly one of the female demons, it may have been Aoi said "Quick, Lord Sesshoumaru approaches." Then Suddenly Packo grabbed her upper arm and dragged her to face the door and go down on his knees, pulling her down with him to the same submissive pose He had just enough time to explain to her the way to behave in front of the Lords of the palace. "You must get down on your knees in front of him and all others of higher status to display your submission. To pay it safe it would even be a good idea to display submission, though not on this level perhaps to the higher ranking servants such as Jaken. The lords do not take kindly to acts of defiance, though he is usually a good ruler you do not want to get on his bad side."

Then Lord Sesshoumaru appeared, striding through the door. Against better reasoning, Kagome looked up to see her captor and now Lord. She did not want to defy him she was far too much of a coward for that, it is not the reason she looked up. She had seen him before, she just simply wanted to see the face of hr captor once more and show him that she was bending to his will, but had a fiery spirit still that would not be crushed. She would do what was required to save herself beatings and the like, but she was not a willing servant here.

She instantly saw though that this was a mistake even before she heard Packo's sharp intake of breath and frantically shaking head 'no'. She simply had a habit of doing things without thinking them through and how her actions may, in fact almost certainly would be misread as an act of defiance. She had never been one to run through possible consequences in her head, but was used to receiving them all the same, perhaps this though was no surprise considering, this time was no different, if a bit more dire.

Sesshoumaru's head immediately swung round and he stared at her. His eyes widened in surprise as he stared at her, Kagome assumed at her impudence, and the usually amber orbs bled crimson. Kagome gulped, wanting to look down and apologise but unable to look away. She knew enough about youkai culture and anatomy to know what this meant, when their eyes bled red their beast was in control. Taiyoukai especially had a tight control over their beasts, their pride prevented them to run feral, and it only broke loose of its mental restraints when feeling severe lust, possessiveness, or... anger... and it usually ended in the death of _something_. Kuso.


	11. Angels and demons

**Sorry for the long wait, but the next chapter is finally done and up here. Firstly I would like to apologise for the inconsistencies in ages and silly things like that, and my grammar is not the best either. But this chapter was beta-ed by ShadowNala, and I am currently sending her grovelling PMs to continue do so. Thank you once again ShadowNala you did a great job.**

**Oh, and a message to scarecrow09: I never said in the last chapter that Sesshoumaru killed anybody, least of all the rabbits, I am not cruel enough to make him so heartless, so I don't know where that came from. **

**Chapter 11 – Angels and Demons**

Kagome gulped and told herself, screamed at herself inside to look away from him but could not manage to do so, his smouldering golden-crimson gaze had her smitten and frozen in place. Kagome was very observant and so it took very little time for her to realize that he was not actually angry at her, but rather at the situation he'd found her in. If he was angry at her, he would have already made a comment; instead he was just staring, suppressing the snarls and growls that came to his throat to prevent frightening her.

Then suddenly he lifted one hand and beckoned her to him. "Rise," he ordered, "know that you do not bow in front of me." His voice was gentle, surprisingly so for a Taiyoukai with crimson ribbons in his golden eyes, but it left no room for argument. Kagome hastily got to her feet so she was above the other servants in the kitchen and faced him. Apparently this though was not enough for he beckoned to her once more. "Come here," he ordered, holding out his arm. She did not want to, seeing as he still scared her, but she still did what she was told.

"You do not need to be frightened, I am not going to hurt you," he told her, looking at her oddly, he seemed to be assessing her, it was a strange feeling to say the least. While his voice was level and calm, his eyes held a slight crimson tinge revealing his weak hold on his anger, confused by this she questioned his words. "Then why are you so angry Sesshoumaru-sama?" She was standing less than a pace from him and could not stop her erratic breathing at the sight of his eyes. Even red they were beautiful in their own way, deep and deadly.

"Well I shall tell you that, Kagome," he started in an annoyed tone, she noted that, for many it spelled the fine line between life and death, he was annoyed, but not furious. "I have just spent all morning searching for you to no avail; I have not been able to train or complete any work because I did not know where you were. I attempted to follow your scent. But the strong scents from in here were too overpowering, this is the last place I check and I see you with my servants. You are not a servant here, so you should not be in the kitchens at all." Sesshoumaru practically sneered, rising to a shout by the time he came to the end of his rant.

He turned his attention away from her and focused on Packo who was still bowed, peaking at the scene with barely suppressed wonder. At the sight of his crimson eyes Lord turning to him, his head bowed down again submissively, so he was focused on the floor, hands behind his back. "You should have known better, if there was going to be a new servant, you would have been alerted. My new servant would also not have been a ningen and certainly not a child; I do not know what you were thinking." He raised his arm in the air and Kagome could see Sesshoumaru was about to strike him, the poor youkai looked terrified.

Kagome grabbed his arm without thinking, making the Demon Lord pause and look at her. "Please," she said, "he is a good person, don't hit him. He is kind, he fed me and taught me and he is my friend, so please don't." Her words got through to him and the crimson finally bled away from his eyes as he looked at her young worried face. He blinked to chase away his beast which had partway broken loose and forced it back into its mental restraints and lowered his arm once more.

"Consider yourself lucky rabbit," he growled at the youkai, not taking his eyes off the young girl in front of him. "This girl just reigned in my beast and just saved your sorry self, but if you ever make such a mistake again, the consequences shall by dire. Kagome is not to be treated with any less respect than you should give to me. She is my pup from now on and should be honoured as such; anyone who does otherwise will answer to me." He turned back to her, "You will follow me, you have wasted my entire morning already."

"And do you want me to apologise for it, because if you do then you are sorely mistaken. You kidnapped me from my village and Packo is the first person who has been nice to me. If anyone should be apologizing to anybody then it is you to me! I have done nothing wrong, all I have done so far is help you, and you have a rather poor way of repaying that favour! So don't you dare hurt someone who has made me laugh today."

Sesshoumaru looked at her throughout her outburst with an air of calm serenity. He did not become mad like she was expecting him to, in fact he did not betray any emotion on his face, and he just stood there and stared at her throughout the tantrum. But anger stems from the primary emotion of fear, and Sesshoumaru could see that while she shouted at him her legs were shaking and her heartbeat was fast. He did not know whether to take this as impudence or not, on one hand everything she said was true, but on the other she was disobeying a direct order to not be afraid, but not even he could lord over a child's emotions.

Suddenly the door opened and entered his greatest annoyance, his half brother. "Oi, I can hear your snarling from down in the dojo, what the hell is going on in here to get you so riled up bro?" His slang speech and familiarity with him as family was the most annoying thing about him, but he was better than he used to be. His battle prowess had improved tremendously as demonstrated by his latest defeat over his enemy Ryuukotsusei. He just wished the child, for his brother was no more than a child, would calm his new ward, which was one skill his half brother was good for at least.

Kagome's eyes widened, she would know that voice anywhere on the planet. Her head snapped up and she locked eyes with the teenager she had been dreaming about ever since she met him three years ago. "Inuyasha?" She squeaked, stepping forward, her fear and anger all but forgotten by simply seeing him standing there in front of her once more. It had been so long, she never thought she would see him again but had always hoped and suddenly here he was.

The puppy eared hanyou looked up in surprise to see the little girl smiling at him. "INUYAHSA!" She screamed and launched herself at the hanyou, knocking him over so they both landed on the floor, her on his stomach. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close, tears in the corners of her eyes. "Oh Inuyasha, I never thought I'd see you again!"

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, forgetting the presence of his crimson eyed brother as he sat up with the child on his lap. She looked to be about 10 years old, visibly only seven years younger than him, though in actuality, several centuries. "Kagome, what are you doing here?" He wrapped his arms around her like he used to do three years ago. Confusion clouded his face, what in the world was this girl doing in the Western Palace? Inuyasha pondered, he was happy to see her after so long of course, but she should not be here attempting to piece together some sort of answer Inuyasha back tracked to their first meeting.

_Kagome was no stranger to being lost, it happened all the time, but it was inevitable when Kikyou was watching over her, Kikyou never played close enough attention. True it was Kagome's fault for wandering off in the first place, but still she knew at seven and a half that if it had been Souta or her parents watching her, it would not have happened. Something silver and shiny in the corner of the village they were visiting caught her attention, so like any curious and disobedient child; she slipped the hand holding onto her and followed it._

_Kikyou was oblivious of course, she was busy flirting with the market seller so she would get a lower price for the bow she was purchasing. Kagome ran after the disappearing silver sight, if she noticed it seemed not to bother the young child that she was following the sight right into a youkai infested wood. When she drew nearer she saw the silver object was actually long white hair and was attached to figure of about 17 years. He, as the figure was a boy, was wearing an all red kimono and had the cutest dog ears Kagome had ever seen._

_He was a breath taking sight, so tall and lean, muscled beyond compare. His long silver tresses and his ears made him look spectacular. She had never seen anyone so handsome in her life, but he was... he was ethereal that was for sure. Kagome ran up to him but was halted in her pursuit when he suddenly stopped walking and let out a sigh. He did not turn and face her, but the words he spoke were directed at Kagome. "Do you intend to follow me forever child, I can't go any further with you tailing me."_

_Stopping in her tracks Kagome was at a loss of what to do until the mystery boy turned around and Kagome was given her first glimpse of his face. He was well proportioned with the most capturing golden eyes she had ever seen. He looked too good to be human, he was admittedly slightly intimidating, but his voice was still warm and gentle which made him seem approachable. So approachable that Kagome did just that and walked up to him with a smile on her face. "My name is Kagome, it is nice to meet you, you are really pretty, are you an angel?"_

_It was then he smiled and she saw his fangs. "Do I look like an angel to you...Kagome? I am no angel, I am about as far from an angel as you can get. Are you not horrified by me, most children would be running from me by now. I am a freak you understand, a hanyou, you know what that means, kid? You are meant to be scared of all things youkai even if they are half, why are you not?"_

_"You have not given me a reason to be terrified of you Tenshi-san."_

_"What about the ears?" He twitched them expecting her to scream, and she did, but not in the way he was expecting her to._

_"KAWAII!" She screamed, reaching up towards him. Not knowing what she wanted he bent down to her level and she grasped his ears in her hands and flicked them. Then Kagome started rubbing them and he could not stop the purr and whine that escaped his throat. It made her giggle and she scratched them more until he straightened again and told her his name, "I'm Lord Inuyasha, prince of the Western Lands, it is nice to meet you too, little Tenshi."_

_"Huh? I'm not an angel, not like you."_

_"No? Well I believe you are, it is I who is a demon after all. A halfing anyways. The forest gets deeper from now on with lots of terrible and hungry youkai waiting to devour little tenshis like you, so you should run along home now."_

_Kagome turned around and realized she had no idea where she came from. "But I do not know which direction to go in Inuyasha-sama, I think I am lost." Hopelessness and fear overcame her and she could feel herself tearing up._

_"Come now, do not cry," he ordered with a new harshness which dried her eyes up instantly. He held out his hand, "Follow me if you are lost, and do not stray, the demons will not harm you if they recognize you as my charge." Kagome took the hand and promised to never slip it like she would her sister and clung to her tenshi demon for dear life._

_"Well you help me go back to my sister Inuyasha-sama?"_

_"I will, I promise, but for now, it is getting late, hold onto my shoulders tightly." Lifting the girl to his back Inuyasha cupped his hands around her thighs and jumped into the highest branches of the nearest tree to rest. He then situated the little angel on his lap and wrapped his arms around her._

_"Hey Inuyasha, do you want to meet my best friend?" Kagome drew a toy dog from her clothing and showed it to him. "He looks like you."_

_"Indeed," he stroked the course hair. "And what is his name?"_

_"I decided on it a few minutes ago actually, I am calling him Inushasta, after you!"_

_"How the Lord has fallen," he muttered._

_The demon prince escorted her back to her village the next day, but did not leave. "I will see you again, right Inuyasha?"_

_"Of course Kagome, but for now you have Inushasta with you don't you?"_

_"We'll take good care of each other Inuyasha-sama."_

_"Good, and it is mearly Inuyasha Kagome, we are friends after all."_

_"Hai! Inuyasha!"_

_"Until next time my little Tenshi."_

_"It was nice meeting you."_

_"You too."_

Snapping back to reality with a jolt, Inuyasha glanced up at his older brother when Sesshoumaru began to speak.

"It is so very much like you to steal a child for the night just because she was not frightened of you, you idiot, she was in danger in the woods even if she was with you." Sesshoumaru scoffed, "you should have taken her back straight away."

For the first time in his life he was ignored by both his brother and his ward. "How is my little Tenshi after so long?"

"Same as ever! I still get lost, but I made a discovery, I am a miko now!"

"I know," he smiled and stroked her long black hair lovingly, "I sensed it as soon as I met you; you truly are a little Tenshi."

"If you knew, then you definitely should have taken her back to a village where she would have been at least a little safer, most demons would kill a miko on sight, paying no heed to the fact she is a child." Again, neither his brother nor the child looked at him, they did not even cast him a sparing glance as he gave his thoughts.

"Well you kept your promise, I did see you again, and Inushasta and I have been keeping good care of each other like we promised you Inuyasha!"

Smiling gently the hanyou said "If I am going to stay here, I'll like it an awful lot more if you are with me."

"Me too, Inuyasha!"

A snarl was heard from Sesshoumaru and an arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her up and off of Inuyasha's lap and to the side of the Western Lord. "I do not care for your past with the girl half breed, but 'your little Tenshi' is now my charge.

Inuyasha, typically, did not realize Sesshoumaru was angry with him and just smiled, "Your charge now huh? You know what this means don't you Kagome? You are my adopted niece! We are family now! An angel and a demon together."

"Your charge?" Kagome questioned, looking up at Sesshoumaru.

"Well why do you think 

do you think you are here? You are not a servant!"

"But I thought-" Whatever Kagome was going to say never came to be as Sesshoumaru cut her off.

"You thought wrong, whatever it was. Your place here is daughter of the West."

"Daughter of the West?"

"I am the Lord, the alpha, and now your guardian, that makes you the princess."

"So I have to call you 'my Lady' from now on, ne?" Inuyasha cut in.

"But why?" Kagome asked the Demon Lord.

"Because you saved my life. Though I said unfair things to you, you saved an alpha and for such you are welcomed into my pack."

"But I already belong somewhere different, in my village."

"And were you happy there?"

Sighing Kagome replied "I don't really know."

"There you have it. Not that it matters, you are staying here. Now come, both of you, and we shall set about getting your timetable ready. In the mornings I shall teach you how to read and write, and in the afternoons you shall learn about demon culture. Every other day I shall teach you self defence and I would like to see you dancing again." Sesshoumaru carried on listing things as Kagome and Inuyasha followed him stunned.

"I never agreed to this," Kagome reminded the Lord.

"That does not matter. I shall not coddle you; this is how things shall be from now onward."  
>There was nothing Kagome could really do except accept what was happening for what it was – real life. She wanted to go back to the village but Sesshoumaru was too powerful and he'd paid for her, he well and truly owned her now. She realized that she was torn between the life that she wanted and the life that she had; the life she used to lead and the one fate landed her with. Things never turned out well in situations like this; sometimes she really hated her life.<p> 


	12. A talk with a friend

**O.K, so this is a filler chapter of sorts, and you can see that Sesshoumaru is a little more sinister than we first thought. I just want to keep it canon sort of, I mean he is pure evil in the anime and manga and I did not want to change it completely straight away. I love Inuyasha and his friendship with Kagome so I thought I would bring that in too.**

**Chapter 12 – A talk with a friend**

"I just don't get why he wants me to live here with him Inuyasha," Kagome said with a moan, sinking to the floor and playing with the flowers at her feet. "He obviously does not want to hurt me, in fact I think he wants me to be happy, but if he wants me to be happy, why kidnap me and take me some place away from my family and friends?" she started picking the wild flowers at her feet where she sat on Inuyasha's lap and started to make them into a flower wreath. "I just don't understand it, I don't understand him, I'm so confused."

"If you think you are confused," Inuyasha started to compose a reply from his position in a low branch of a tree in the garden, "it is nothing compared to how he is feeling." He dropped out of the tree he was dozing in and landed in front of the child gracefully, in one fluid motion he was sitting beside her and pulled her into his lap. She had always enjoyed physical contact, and Inuyasha was always there to give it to her. He did not mind seating her in his lap, she preferred it to the ground or even when there were seats available, and hugging her when she needed it.

"What do you mean Inuyasha? Sesshoumaru sama is never confused, he is always so self assured and confident in everything he does. I have only been here for one week and I know this, he is never uncertain about anything." Kagome absent minded started to weave the flowers together, it was a job for the hands only. She briefly wondered what she was going to do with it once it was completed, she didn't really want to wear it after all.

"You may think that Kagome, and you are right, for most of the time he is pretty much perfect. In fact, your actions are the only thing that has confused him for a very long time, and it is that which made him be so cruel and cold to you during your first encounter when he woke up. He was not used to be confused about anything before, but his honour kept him from ridding him of the problem in the only way he knew how. So he asked you what you wanted from him and you said you did not, that is when the obsession started."

Inuyasha stroked the ebony locks like he used to, for after their first encounter they kept meeting about once a month on random occasions and they would just sit and talk. Kagome would place herself on his lap and sometimes fiddle with his silver hair while he rested his chin on top of her head and stroke her hair and cuddle her just to pass the time in each other's company. "You see, the two of you being natural enemies are meant to fight and try to kill each other and when you turned around and did the opposite, it shook the foundations of everything he ever knew, of every shred of knowledge he had been brought up on."

"And how does this lead to the whole kidnapping thing?" Kagome asked, dropping the flower wreath and turning her attention back to Inushasta and Inuyasha, once again comparing how similar they looked, it really was quite funny. She brushed his fur, Sesshoumaru had given her a comb for him, such a petty thing to allow her to have she did not fail to note. Behind the cold mask, he really did seem to want to keep her happy.

"The confusion about you turned to a sort of obsessive affection, he does not understand that either. He just wants to keep you safe, and the only way he can ensure you are kept safe so he can repay his debt to you is to keep you where he knows you are alright. I know you would prefer to stay in the village, but Sesshoumaru is right, they can't look after you as well as he can, and would not be able to protect you against a Taiyoukai, such as him, they would not have been able to protect you against him had he decided to attack."

"But why do I need this protection Inuyasha, am I in danger or something?" She clutched her toy dog closer, out of habit; he was the first she turned to in need of comfort or protection. "I was not in danger before I met Sesshoumaru and he decided I was. I have never even really seen a demon before I met Sesshoumaru, so why am I suddenly in danger? It is youkai you are talking about, but my village has never had any trouble from them, so why now, and why me?"

"It is because of you miko powers Kagome. They mature and bloom as you mature, so as you get older, you become more powerful. Seeming as they started to show at such a young age I think you are going to be very powerful in time. As you get older, demons will sense to the miko powers and try to kill you because of it to eliminate the threat. They do not need a reason, and even if you learn to mask your powers, youkai will hear of it. Of course as you get older and more powerful you are able to defend yourself more too. But Taiyoukai for example my big brother would still be able to get to you, and will, that is why you need protection."

"But I can't stay here, it is not just that I do not want to, I really can't! Who is going to train me with my miko powers, there are not humans here, let alone mikos or monks. And who is going to assist Keade with the sickness in the village and what about visiting my friends and family, I will be able to see them again right Inuyasha? I do not want to stay here forever, I do not feel as though I belong here, I, I have never felt so lost."

"Then visit them Kagome, it is not like Sesshoumaru owns you or anything, tell him to take you to visit them." At his words, Kagome stiffened, what he had said was not strictly speaking true if what she knew of politics was right. Inuyasha being the good friend he was noticed this sudden case of rigor mortis and quizzed her on it. "Kagome, why did you stiffen so suddenly, what did I say to make you so scared and uncertain?"

Kagome refused to say anything more but trembled where she sat, and the tremor ran up Inuyasha's body. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her to get her to answer him, if what he feared was true, the girl was in danger from the Taiyoukai who was her protector. "Come on Kagome please tell me what's wrong, I'm your friend and I'm worried." He turned her around to face him and wrapped his arms around the child, holding her close to him. Her tears which had started to fall with the immensity of it all soaked his red top.

"When... he went... to... to get me... he... he paid the village," she choked out through tears. "He gave... a pouch... coins, lots of golden coins." She took a few calming breaths so she could speak properly instead of choking it out syllable as a time. "He threw a bag of money and my family's feet and before they could stop themselves, or maybe they did not want to stop. My father picked it up and I thought he was going to throw it back at him, but he didn't, he opened it up and looked inside and poured the coins out, counting them. When Sesshoumaru took off with me, nobody followed; nobody seemed to even care anymore."

Inuyasha just listened holding her close, so Kagome really did belong to him. "Sesshoumaru," he whispered into the black hair, "what have you done?" He had gone far to ensure her 'safety' for he knew it must be more than that now, perhaps he had gone too far. Buying someone did more than destroy their ties, even if emotional ones could never be forgotten or severed; it made you a possession of whoever purchased you. Belonging to Sesshoumaru was frightening and exhilarating, but Inuyasha could safely say that she _would _remain safe now, because Sesshoumaru was incredibly protective and possessive over what was his.

He asked himself why he had gone so far when he finally sensed it. He was after the same thing that had drawn him to her in the first place, that pure soul, that heart of kindness. He had not wanted it as much as his big brother did because he had a little bit of purity himself being only half, but there was no such thing a pure demon, and Taiyoukai's especially were always tainted. That pure heart and soul of hers called to the bastard, he wanted it just as he wanted her, to make that whiteness his, to make that girl entirely his.

"Kagome listen to me," he put his large hand over her chest where he heart was and felt its strong heartbeat, Kagome did nothing but look at him, confused. "I know this will sound weird, but please, look after that O.K, do not let anyone near it, not Sesshoumaru, not anybody. Only let those in who you know you can trust, you are far too open and loving, that is why you saved my brother and look where that got you. Look after your soul, because you have a beautiful brilliant soul, do not let any youkai darkness taint it, taint you."

"I do not understand what you are saying." Kagome snuggled further into his warm embrace to seek the comfort there. "What do you mean with all this talk of tainting and pure hearts and souls and darkness and danger, what are you talking about?" Kagome did not like serious talks like these, they were frightening, confusing, and weird, the set her on edge and she hated that she did not understand what was being said even more.

"I am sorry Kagome, I didn't mean to scare you," he whispered to her, nuzzling the top of her head with his chin, talking into the bony locks. "I probably have this wrong and am blowing it out of proportion, my brother is not as bad as I usually constantly make him out to be. He can be a bastard, but his care for you seems to be genuine, so you really have nothing to worry about. Just do not warm up to him too quickly, because you are prone to, I am your friend and I am worried about you so I am likely to be pessimistic when it comes to your safety."

"Inuyasha," Kagome started, looking rather startled by what she was seeing, "are you crying?" She had never before seen a demon cry, she had not seen very many demons for long, maybe it was his human half anyway. She lifted his chin up to see the glistening drops run down his face, "I am not in danger O.K, I will be alright, I promise, but don't cry, please, or I might start as well." She drew Inushasta out of her kimono and held it out to him, "why don't you hug Inushasta for a while, that always cheers me up."

Inuyasha took the toy dog and made sure his tears of worry stopped so it would not worry the girl on his lap, children took comfort in the visage of stronger elders, and here he was crying, having said child comfort him, maybe that worked too. "You are right Kagome, you will be fine, I'll make sure of it, and Sesshoumaru, he'll keep you safe from everyone, and I will keep you safe from him. Approach the world with a smile on your face; full of your ever present optimism, fill your soul with hope and you heart with purity, everything will be O.K."

Kagome did what she was told and fought off the remaining vestiges of worry, replacing it with a smile and optimism and hope. She did not need to be frightened, and she should not be wallowing and worry and depression either, if you think about it, this is an amazing opportunity, one that should not be given up or wasted. She was living in the Western Palace with the Lord and her childhood long lost friend Inuyasha. She missed her family and friends yes, but she had also made new ones and discoveries here.

"Kagome, just do what he tell you to, it will not be hard, and he won't ask anything terrible of you. It would do you good and be easy if you just did what you were told and did not fight it. He is likely to take you as a challenge otherwise, stick with it, and things will look up." He gave the dog back to her and smiled, showing her his pointed fangs. He twitched his ears to make her smile, the girl found it cute and it always made her laugh.

"Keep Inushasta with you alright for comfort and make sure to keep one another safe for me. I am general of Sesshoumaru's armies and so will not always be with you, I have to be constantly out on one mission or another. He is jealous of how close to you I am so will be sending me out more and more, and I cannot disobey him, because he may be my half brother but he is also my Lord, and there is nothing I can do to change that."

Inuyasha stood up and set his young charge on her feet... no... She was not his charge, not anymore... this was Sesshoumaru's charge. He was confused now; it was unlike his brother to go so far as to pay for her, kidnap would have been better, to pay for someone... it was so absolute. Perhaps he should go talk to him about it, it would probably earn him a couple of cracked ribs, but it was all worth it for Kagome's sake. Why did he care for her so much, was it truly because she did not fear him, or was he stunned by that pure heart too?

Why did his brother care, that was a more interesting question? He had known Sesshoumaru for a very long time and knew him better than anyone else did. He knew that Sesshoumaru did not care for people, he did not care at all, not for anyone, and the only things that mattered to him were himself and his lands. He protected his people only out of duty; he held no love for anyone in his borders. Kagome had touched his heart, that much was clear, through her selflessness and her unprecedented love and kindness for all, she had touched him somehow.

He had always viewed his elder half brother as a bit of an icicle really. Kagome though was thawing him out, warming him as she did everyone, with just one simple smile she lit up the room. Perhaps it was not so bad after all, as long as she was kept happy, and he was sure he could ensure that, having her here was a good thing. Kagome could thaw out his brother, make him into a better leader, make him love, make him care, make him understand. It may take a long time, but if she could make him do that, it was worth her sacrifices.

Sesshoumaru ruled the West with an iron fist, just like their father did. He was admittedly a very good ruler, he was born into the role of a leader and took it seriously and was successful. In some cases this 'tough' approach was needed, and it was the best approach, but he did not know any other way, and that was not good leadership, but ruthlessness and ignorance. It was so much better and easier to be a leader if your people followed you out of trust, understanding and love instead of fear, he was a general of the armies, he knew this.

His men followed him because he was strong yes; the strongest of them all in fact, but mainly because they trusted him not to lead them astray, to lead them to victory, to fight for them, save them, and protect them. In turn they protected him, saved his life on some occasions, they fought side by side because they respected and awed him, but were not frightened by him, and they wanted to fight by his side. His brother did not yet know what love was, though he understood affection, and was affectionate towards the child.

Inuyasha found that when walking he had made him way to his brother's chamber door and was stood outside it. He remembered he was going to kick his ass for purchasing Kagome like some sort of possession and taking away her humanity, reducing her, almost. He had even unconsciously raised his hand to knock on the door, but caught himself and lowered it again. He remembered Kagome's affect on people and how she could positively affect his ice cold, egotistical half brother. Because she could, without even knowing she would, he knew this.

He stood there a while longer before letting out a sigh, almost in defeat, as if he was letting Kagome down by turning away. If he spoke to him in this way, it was likely to make him colder, making the whole process of warming him slower, meaning Kagome would not be returned home where she belonged. He kicked the ground in front of him and snarled at himself angrily before turning around and stalking away heading for his own chambers.

He would bet his clothes that his bastard of a brother had seen the two of them talking in that affectionate way, Kagome sitting on his lap on all. He knew Sesshoumaru was jealous of his familiarity with the child and so was not exactly pleased with him right now. Seeing him let alone scolding and shouting at him was not the best idea at the moment, well at any moment really, but especially not now. Inuyasha was not scared of his brother and was no stranger to pain anyway, but there no reason to given the bastard a reason to beat him up after all.

So with this in mind he lay on his back in his bed staring at the ceiling waiting for evening to fade into night so he would fall asleep and rest his head that was still raging with thoughts and questions. Eventually he slipped under the blanket of unconsciousness and fell into a light sleep. He was untroubled though and calm because his little charge was too pure for the Kamis to wish any harm upon her, so she was bound to be safe, even from his half brother. He hoped she would manage to thaw him and stay unscathed herself in the process. And he slept full of apprehension if nothing else, silently promising his little Tenshi everything would be O.K.


	13. To change

There is an OC introduced here, see if you can guess where he is from, take a  
>wild stab at it, you'll find it fun to try, plus I love reviews and I guess I<br>am just giving you a reason to even if you don't like the chapter and are too  
>nice to say so!<br>Chapter 13 – To change

"1, 2, 3 and turn and 1, 2, 3 and turn. Left, right, together, left, right together, and twirl and dip and..." THUMP! Kagome sat up from where she had been dropped on the ground and rubbed her head, blinking rapidly to see what had happened. Then her midnight blue eyes focused on the laughing face of her dancing partner/instructor, she scowled at the man named Akito, he had stoniness that few could rival even Lord Sesshoumaru.

Kagome had thought his treatment of her was merely because she was a human miko child and a female on top of that. She was quick to learn though that Akito was that cold to everybody, she was not sure whether this was better. Kagome wondered why Sesshoumaru would want someone like that working for him one thing could not be denied though was that he was a fantastic dancer. With everyone except her of course.

Kagome rubbed her head again and stood up, facing him with glaring eyes, "Akito, you dropped me!" she complained, she knew that this time from his laughing voice that it was entirely his fault. It had been her fault before, when she was meant to turn out to a finish she had made a mistake, tripped over her own feet and landed flat on her face. She did not want to put up with this horrible person, but she promised she would.

It had been three days since her talk in the garden with Inuyasha and this was her fourth lesson with Akito in dancing. Kagome was a very quick learner and always had been, and while Akito was not nice, he was not a liar either. He never called her useless or slow, as he was secretly pleased at having such an apt student and for her to be so young to be a dancer as well; such additions were always only ever a plus. But he could not be soft on her, for she had in her capabilities to become a fabulous dancer, and he wanted her to be prepared for anything because of it.

"It would seem I did," he told her, smirk still in place, but not longer laughing. He leant against the wall of the hall with his arms crossed over his chest, returning her glare, Kami she hated that smug smirk. "That is your first lesson in being prepared, you must never let anything catch you unaware, or it will lead to your humiliation. You cannot expect all your partners to be perfect, like myself, some may lose their hold occasionally during a complicated dance sequence, or they may just feel like dumping you on the floor."

He strode over to her wound one arm around her waist while the other grabbed her right hand, in return, just as she had been taught on her first lesson, her left hand reached up to wrap around his shoulder. He started the sequence they had been practising for the past half an hour from the top, "Come, we shall try this again." There was no music, according to Akito she was not ready, her balance still needed improving, so they danced without it, twirling around the hall holding one another, Akito keeping rhythm with his skilled  
>mind and feet.<p>

She found there to be nothing really notable about their seemingly intimate position, it was strictly business, Akito was being paid a lot of money to teach her to dance because Sesshoumaru thought it might be nice for her, and so he was going to do so to the best of his ability. Kagome did not really like him and would even prefer to be taught dancing by Sesshoumaru himself and was sure Akito was none too fond of her either. She was sure she would enjoy learning to dance so much more, though were her teacher more kind or someone different, anyone but Akito.

She wished her tutor was like someone from the village she had been forced to leave behind ten days ago. She had always wanted to learn to dance, but she always assumed should the time come she could learn at her own pace with her friends Erie and Yuka. Should things come to formal lessons with a male partner she wanted it to be Kohaku or Hojo, seeming as Hojo could actually dance. She was sure she would have gotten encouragement in the one vaguely feminine thing she liked to do from her parents and siblings. If her village truly was in the past, then he could have at least been a little bit like her friend Packo or Inuyasha.

So they started to dance again, and though Kagome was sure he did not feel it, Kagome tightened her hold on him so they when she was dipped she would not fall as she was still clinging to him. she was certain he was going to drop her again and he would not only be laughing at her harder for making her fall twice but would be angry he had caught her out again should she fall a second time. Kagome made sure to stay on high alert, she had to get it right this time, it was a good thing because Akito seemed to have no patience whatsoever.

It was about three minutes into the sequence when Akito suddenly just let go of her altogether and gave her a slight push for good measure to make her drop again. Thankfully, just as Kagome had promised herself, she was ready for the devious plot of the youkai and clung to his shoulder tightly. She still stumbled and stepped forward, tangling her foot with his midstride as he moved to step away from her and watch her fall with a smirk in place like last time.

Akito saw what was happening too late as it was already taking place. Kagome's free hand clutched his top and their feet tripped each other up. With a startled cry from only Akito's lips at being outsmarted by his own young student they both went tumbling to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs and cussing on Akito's part. Yet behind the anger, though Kagome may not know it, and would probably never know it either, Akito was somewhat proud of his dancing prodigy catching him out as she did so successfully. Sesshoumaru was right when he first pushed the girl at him a week ago; she was a fast learner indeed.

Akito got his feet and looked down at the slightly crushed Kagome still on the floor. He smiled weakly, not a smirk, but a real smile, that was the first time someone had ever tripped him up, had ever made him lose his grace for even a moment. He was not like his Lord Sesshoumaru and did not treat defeat as some sort of felony of disgrace and continue to dismember the offender. When you were as good as he was you gained a thrill from being defeated for once and wanted it to happen again in a way. You continue to train the same person, waiting for it to happen once more, testing their strength, measuring it against yours, it was exciting.

Of course he knew this time with the girl was just a one off, but it was still exciting all the same. He did the unthinkable; he extended his hand towards the fallen child and pulled her to her feet. His eyes were shining with excitement and pride and apprehension, he was suddenly full of energy even  
>though they had been dancing for near an hour now and he had not had much in the way of food that day, or much sleep the night before. Kagome took the hand and allowed herself to be hauled, rather gently for him, gracefully back to her feet, it almost looked like another dance move if initiated correctly, he might use that one day.<p>

Kagome looked into his shining black eyes and mistook the excitement, pride and energy for anger and she immediately turned her midnight blue eyes away from his darker ones to study the floor. "I am sorry for that Akito," she murmured, and not even a fool would have thought for a moment she was being sincere, she would do it again given the chance. It was clear she was proud of her own manoeuvre had Akito not been so nasty and cold and Kagome not so shy they would both be laughing by now.

"What are you apologising for you stupid girl?" Akito snapped with more venom than was really needed seeing as he was not really reprimanding her this time. "That was a very clever move, although I am sure it was unintentional, not many could have pulled it off. You a novice are pitted against me, a master, yet you managed to outsmart me and end up flooring us both, a very commendable achievement, bringing the humiliation to the both of us instead. I am not  
>angry at you, you silly child, in fact it is quite the opposite, I am proud of you even, well done."<p>

Kagome stared at the harsh instructor in shock, had he just... did he really... just now... her thoughts were all a jumble. She had not known him long, but his character was not all that hard to figure out, first impressions were usually everything after all despite contradictions she had heard, but she never thought she would see the day. "Akito-sensei," she started slowly, disbelief creeping into her voice, "Did you just praise me?"

"Well if you do not even know what the words 'well done' entail," he started, arms crossed over his chest in his trademark pose as he stared back at her, "then perhaps I spoke too soon." On his face Kagome noted there was a smile, and it was not a smirk or a triumphant sneer, it was a smile, he was being sarcastic, he was joking with her, Akito had a sense of humour. For the first time since meeting him, Akito was smiling at her and it was a really nice smile too. It made him look nicer and not like the foul demon he seemed to be most of the time.

Kagome was overcome with a sudden burst of affection for the spider youkai, for that is what he was, though he was rather attractive for a spider. His black hair and black eyes were no longer ominous but nice and handsome, his muscular build added to his dancing instead of hindered and it made her feel safe and protected instead of intimidated, all because he treated her decently. Kagome threw herself at the demon, knocking him backwards yet again, but he did not fall, merely stumbled before he got his bearing and caught her in his arms.

"Arigatou! Akito-san!" Kagome cried delightedly, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face into the black silky hair while she thanked him. "I knew you had to be nice really, I knew! Arigatou! Arigatou! Arigatou!" she continued to thank him, arms around his neck while his arms held her body to him off the floor. Akito had not been a position like this in a long time and it was almost intimidating, so he just stood there holding her in his arms while she hugged and thanked him.

He remembered talking to Inuyasha the day after he had met his newest human pupil. Every good teacher made sure they knew their students, and he was the best teacher around. Sesshoumaru, he knew, would not talk to him and knew practically nothing about the child anyway. His brother however was a different story altogether, not only did he know Kagome, he talked about her  
>freely.<p>

Everybody knew how cold Akito typically was, so Inuyasha was amused by the fact he was going to be a teacher for such a ball of energy. Inuyasha had warned the dancer about Kagome's effect on people however Akito had scoffed at him and he had laughed in return, Akito knew that Inuyasha was right now. He was warming up to the child.

As he held Kagome in his arms he could not help but wonder whether this was what having a child of his own was like. He had never really thought about settling down and having a family of his own before. He went off to serve the West and thought no more of it really, he lived to please his Lord and nothing else was of any interest, nothing else was really allowed to be of any interest. He had never met a girl with whom he felt a connection and all youkai mate for life, so he frowned upon those who had 'flings' with women. In fact the first person to crack through his icy shell had been this small human in his arms, Kagome. She had indeed changed him and he wondered whether he  
>could ask for leave and create a little family of his own.<p>

After he got his bearings and placed Kagome on his feet he fought to keep the blush off his face. "Thank you once again Sensei, I promise to make you proud every lesson!" Akito smiled at her, she could flick from one emotion to another, and go from mature to childish so quickly it was hard to keep up. Who knew a human child, a miko no less could touch his heart so?

"You truly have impressed me," he assured her once again, "you have achieved so much in four short lessons." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders companionably, "No more practising today, we shall cut the lesson short for today. Come; let us do something different, perhaps you will join me for a beverage?" He took the excited squeal that followed as an affirmative and the left the hall heading for a small diner in the castle.

Akito soon learnt that most of the things Kagome was taught, she was taught by Sesshoumaru himself. She learnt practically every subject he could think of, her fundamental writing and reading skills were already good for a young child, astounding once he learnt she had come from a poor village. She had taught herself then on the books she had found, learning those fundamental  
>skills along with her miko powers under the priestess of her village. He questioned her more on the village she came from, but she refused to speak, so he wisely dropped the subject.<p>

He asked her who her other teachers were, and what they taught her that Sesshoumaru could not do himself. Sesshoumaru was more than capable of teaching her everything she needed to know, but that was not the issue. There were only so many hours in the day and he had to spend much time tending to his own duties as Lord of the West, time which could not be spent constantly tutoring a child. He trained in the art of fighting, it was his job, sires always taught their pups how to fight and hunt, even adopted ones.

She had a female tutor, a horse youkai by the name of Sakura to teach her more advanced writing, reading and mental arithmetic. Sakura was perfect for the job; she was kind and patient and loved children. Akito found he actually grew to be rather jealous of the horse youkai seeming as she spent several hours of the day with the child, whereas he only got to see her several times a week. To be fair, his affection had only really just started now since she beat him and made him respect her, but the envy was still there.

He went to speak with Sakura later that that day, just to ask about her skills and found that the demon loved the little girl too. She was a bundle of energy apparently, and lit up the room with her smile when she entered it. She truly did change those who were around her, for a demon was a demon, but Sakura had turned into a kindly teacher when around the child. She swooned over her, over the very mention of her; hopefully he would not turn out like that. Then his mind switched to Sesshoumaru and how he may be changed by her too...

And thus, the miko child Kagome Higurashi won over the hearts of the Western  
>Castle.<p>

A/N – cyber cookie for anyone who can guess which anime the cold Akito comes  
>from and tell me a bit about him and why he is so cold to everyone if you can.<br>I'll try to have a contest like this in all of my fanfictions.


	14. A miko's energy

**Congratulations to everyone who got it right, it was Akito from fruits basket. Some said it was Akito from Kodocha, but I have never heard of it. Enjoy and review!**

**And a great big thank you to ShadowNala for beta-ing my work.**

**Chapter 14 – A miko's energy**

"Sesshoumaru, I can continue to spar, you do not have to stop just because of this." She quickly straightened, corrected her stance and raised her weapon to show she was ready and capable. Sesshoumaru nodded at her to show the stance was right, but then turned away from her. She continued to protest, but Kagome's words were falling on deaf ears and the demon lord sheathed his sword and began walking back to the palace that was it, their training session was over. "Wait, Sesshoumaru, please." Kagome called, running after him, trying to catch up to his long stride.

Sesshoumaru did not once turn back to regard her, he just left her to follow. She could not train by herself. And Kagome could not believe it, her body had to betray her now of all times. She had been at Sesshoumaru's palace for just over a fortnight now, 16 days; she had little scratch markings on her bedroom wall to prove it. In the last four she had been getting flashes of pain in her head, awful stomach cramps and was coming down with a cold.

For a fortnight she had been fine, and only now she started to get ill. She had never gone so long without being ill before and she had started to think her change in lifestyle was a good thing, but obviously this was not enough to keep her ailments away forever. The young priestess wanted to continue to spar so she was able to defend herself, that way she had an argument to persuade  
>Sesshoumaru to let her return to where she belonged. "Please Sesshoumaru, the pain is gone already, we can continue." Her voice was growing weaker now, and Sesshoumaru was never convinced otherwise once his mind was set on something.<p>

"You are not pained now, but can you assure me this in the future? You are obviously unwell, and we cannot continue while you are ill, it will hinder you and only get you injured." He was right of course, but Kagome had been dealing with her illnesses for ten years now, she was used to working and over exerting herself with pain and colds and the flu. However Kagome found she could not complain about his denial as he was only doing so because he honestly cared about her wellbeing, anyone could see that, he did not want to see her hurt or ill.

Suddenly Sesshoumaru heard a pained gasp from behind him. It sounded more urgent and agonizing than the other ones and a spike of fear flashed through him. He turned in time to see Kagome close her eyes and fall forward, she was fainting from the pain. He dashed forward and caught her before she touched the ground and to his own surprise he gathered her up in his arms. He cared for her of course, he had made that quite clear, but it was not like him to show such... paternity, to anyone.

What was more surprising was that Kagome curled up against his chest. Given that she was unconscious it was not a movement she meant, but she still did it. Perhaps in the other realm the girl knew she was safe with him, the faith in her movement showed Sesshoumaru that the majority of her trusted him and knew he was safe, it was only a matter of time then before she consciously learnt that too.

The youkai was not expecting her to settle in so quickly, he had kidnapped her from her home, threaten her kin and then whisk her off to an unfamiliar place full of demons. Fate had smiled on them though, as she won the hearts of his subjects quickly, even the cold Akito could not resist her charms and this only sped up her readjustment to her new life. He was prepared it would take at least a few months or years for her to accept this is where she belonged.

Sesshoumaru was confused however as he carried her to her room to rest. She obviously had difficulties with her chest, but her miko powers should have overcome the problem, the lord really could think of no reason as to explain her constant illnesses and pains. He changed course on the way to her room and headed towards the library. He had reading on mikos to do. Sesshoumaru really should have done this before collecting her, if he had the pain and distrust in his ability to protect and look after her could have been prevented, who knew looking after a human child was such trouble?

Once there, he laid his precious cargo on a pile of cushions in the corner, they had been placed in the library because Kagome enjoyed sitting there in the evenings. Inuyasha was on another mission and Packo and the kitchens were off limits, she could only go there in secret the proud daiyoukai did not want his ward anywhere near servants, it was improper. The young lady did not have much free time, classes occupying most of the day. Since learning she could read, Sesshoumaru had her tutor step up her teaching and take her to the library where she easily got lost in a book and curled up here for hours on end, often leaving him to bring her up to her room after finding her hours later asleep with a book in her hand.

Kagome did not stir once laid down and Sesshoumaru let her be, not seeing any point in waking her as she obviously needed rest. He picked up a scroll off a shelf and sat at his desk, sighing he opened it and started to read. Though tedious, Sesshoumaru did not stop in his studies as his pup's health was his top priority. He did however occasionally stop to tousle the child's hair or pat her head while she slept.

He did not believe for a moment her chest was to blame for his wards state. Sesshoumaru knew that her miko powers escalated her healing like a demon's blood did, although on as much smaller scale. Furthermore ever since she came to his castle she had been fine, then suddenly she started to deteriorate rapidly. This proved that is was more than coincidence or a matter of time, something else was at work here, but he was not sure what, Sesshoumaru growled in frustration.

When his pup stirred in her sleep he moved her from the pile of cushions into his lap where she stilled. He had found out from Inuyasha, before he sent him off on another mission, that Kagome was comforted by sleeping with another being, it soothed her. Unsurprisingly he found that having her with him also calmed Sesshoumaru greatly.

The rest of the study time passed in harmony and he barely noticed the scrolls pass by him as he finished one after the other, scanning them thoroughly to make sure he did not miss any pieces of information. The illnesses and pains of his ward were not only becoming more frequent, but they were becoming more serious as well, time was of the essence. And Sesshoumaru hated to see his little Kagome in pain. Three hours of careful studying later he finally found what he had been looking for.

_Mikos and monks are individuals of holy energies with many different powers. They are the opposite and natural enemies of youkai. They can manipulate holy energy to heal injuries and illnesses that ail them, and with training, can heal others. Said holy energy can also be used to attack, primarily youkai by shooting their aura at a demons', if the mikos' or monks' energy outweighs a demons, which it usually does, it overpowers and destroys them, thereby 'purifying' them. Mikos and monks are also capable of erecting barriers, exorcising evil spirits, as well as putting restless spirits to rest.  
><em>  
>Sesshoumaru skipped on, he did not need to read up on what mikos and monks were. He knew very well what they were and what they were capable of, he was a Daiyoukai, it was his duty to at least know what danger they posed to him. All he needed to know was why Kagome was becoming so ill, and what he could do to stop it.<p>

_Mikos are rarer than monks, with only a few appearing every generation, not every village obtained one. Just like demons, they differ in strength, and they can train via meditation and concentration of their holy energies to build up their strength. Some mikos have been known to have been slain by  
>lower level insect youkai, while others have been known to attack and defeat Daiyoukai, naturally demons with their dark souls are the enemies of mikos who are brought up to hate and battle youkai.<br>_  
>Sesshoumaru frowned, they were natural enemies, he knew that much, but it was news to him that they were brought up to hate and battle demons. It was true her true heritage had been a secret in her village, but the old one had known, she had known for a long time and had been teaching her. She was brought up with prejudices against him, no wonder she was so resistant against his progressions with her. Another thought struck him and again he frowned, she was brought up to hate his kind, and still she saved him.<p>

_A mikos power usually starts to show at the age of 15 years; there they can go to the miko or monk of the village, or to a nearby village where they are trained. It has been known however for a miko's energy to start to show at the age of 10 or 11, and the power grows as the child matures. The earlier the purifying energy starts to show around the child, and how powerful it is an early indicator of how powerful the miko has the potential to become later in life.  
><em>  
>This information made Sesshoumaru smile inwardly, and although it was pure chance and her power was nothing to do with him Sesshoumaru felt pride for his little miko ward. It was only fitting that the pup of the great Inu no Taisho of the West was one with a great deal of power, it was perhaps not as fitting or at all traditional for the pup of a very powerful Daiyoukai to be a miko<br>but the tradition had been continued. Sesshoumaru was fully aware that when the time came for him to announce the addition to his family to the other Lords and Ladies of the cardinal lands, his decision would be considered very... odd to say the very least, even taking into account the reason for such a decision.

_If a miko's energy however starts to manifest before the child has at least reached the age of 14, their lives and aura are out of balance. They need extra training to make sure they can contain and control their powers. If they are not trained and do not use their power to release the built up energy it can result in ailments. These ailments can take many forms, such as cramps, aches and illnesses.  
><em>  
>Sesshoumaru's attention span lengthened and he leaned forward to read more. Now this is what he had been waiting to come across. This was an explanation as to the state of his pup's health, though he was not at all pleased with his findings. He had a feeling that it was only going to get worse as he read further, but he needed to for the sake of his pup. Unsettled, but refusing to feel anything akin to fear or panic as things were not dire yet, Sesshoumaru pressed on with his study of the scroll, apprehensive about what he might find.<p>

_The ailments start out mild, but if training is still not initiated along with regular usage of the miko energy, then they grow in frequency and seriousness. Eventually, the illnesses and pangs of pain become too serious and frequent and the ultimate result is death. It is a most excruciating way for a child miko to die, being slowly killed off by constant illnesses, getting weaker day by day. However, these cases are rare and..._

Sesshoumaru stopped reading; he had learnt all that he needed to. He had the urge to pick up the scroll he had just been reading, tear it in two and throw it across the room. He wanted to snarl and growl and howl and snap at himself in anger and sorrow. He wanted to kill everything that could hurt her, but the one who had been doing so was him. The only thing that stopped him from doing this was the fact it would wake Kagome.

This was not good, the fact his pup was in danger was bad enough but he was the one responsible for it was even worse. He had known that what he would read was not going to welcome, but death was not something he had expected. True her condition was bad and it was only worsening, but he had hoped against hopes it was just a phase, and that it would pass with time, that it was some sort of trial. But he was kidding himself; he always knew it was going to be bad. Sesshoumaru had never felt so hopeless and helpless before, what was he going to do? It was his fault ,her pain, her condition, her approaching death was his entire fault. After he had promised to protect her, he felt like losing control once more, had he not been so intense or so vigilant in his insistence Kagome come with him and leave behind the old miko she would not be in such peril. At the moment however Sesshoumaru still had the chance to do something about it.

But therein lay the problem, where on earth was he going to get a miko or monk to train Kagome, and help her release the pent up power. It may be difficult but the Daiyoukai was sure he could find and afford a tutor to save his pup. Time was the main problem for him now. He had planned to give Kagome a couple of months to settle in, once ensuring she knew she belonged with him and considered the Western Palace home, so would not run away at the first opportunity he was going to start giving her some more freedom. He planned to let her visit her old village, visit other villages as well, tour the Western Provinces; she was their princess now after all. But a couple of months –  
>that was too long, according to the scroll and Kagome's condition he would guess she barely had a couple of weeks.<p>

Sesshoumaru as did not just want any old monk or miko to come and train her, he wanted it to be someone he trusted, or at least knew. The whole process of gathering suitable candidates, testing them, whittling down his choice to one or two and then sorting out rooms and timetables and wages and all of those essential sorting could again take months of preparation. Everything that needed to be done, every solution he could think of, took time, and time was the one thing they did not have.

His answer came to him in the most unwelcome fashion, a human woman who was so much like a demon, even he was repulsed by her. 


	15. Kikyou's Plan

**A HUGE THANKS TO MY BETA! ShadowNala**

**I would like to apologise to Kikyou, lovers, I had not intended to make her a villain, and she is not one really, while not a villain though, she is not someone you are meant to like and compensate with. Sorry to you and all, but I was born a Kikyou hater, I hate her in the anime and I read fanfictions with Kikyou bashing just so I can see her getting her just deserts. This may be just because I am also a huge Kagome lover – because funnily enough I don't mind Naraku having a good life, or Naraku/Kagome pairings. **

**Anyhow, enjoy the chapter; sorry for taking so long over it, don't forget to review!**

**Chapter 15 – Kikyou's Plan**

If there was one thing Kikyou hated, well in truth she hated a lot of things, like olives, scruffiness and illnesses that are not serious enough to get you off your work, but enough to make you feel awful, like common colds, but if there was one thing she hated above everything it was being rejected. She had never been rejected before, at anything. This was a new experience for her and entirely unpleasant one.

Kikyou thought back over her last encounter where the rejection had taken place, though who it had been by was the most important part. Yes he was a Daiyoukai, and not just any demon Lord either, he had an extraordinary amount of money, with good looks to spare on top of that. Honestly, waist length natural silver hair was to die for, and amber coloured eyes – it was so strange, but it suited him. His pale skin with those vibrant purple striped markings and the blue crescent moon in his forehead just completed the good looks. The fact he was easily seven feet tall with pronounced muscles as well just made any female drool.

He was powerful, but entirely too egotistical, it was not as if she was asking much of him – or anything of him for that matter, except her little sister back. It was not as if she was asking him to accept her as a mate or anything along those lines. She was merely offering him her services, by that of course she meant her body, and nothing more. She was pleased though, that while she was brushed off, he was the only one who truly understood what it was she had offered him and he kept that information to himself.

The fact he did that in itself got her wondering about him, and once her curiosity was piqued about something or someone, she always made sure to get it. If he had announced to the village what she had offered to him she would have been publicly humiliated, and rightly so if she thought about it. Yet while he could have done so, he had not, and though she doubted he had refrained purely because he wished to protect her from speculation and persecution, he still had taken a course of action which suited her and not him.

Perhaps then, he liked to protect human females or just humans in general which is why she felt a bit better for Kagome. While she would not be happy in her new home, she would be safe and be with someone who truly wanted her protected and happy. That is why he had not attacked the village even though he could have done so. Kikyou wondered once more about herself, perhaps she then would be safe going to him as she planned.

She was not an average woman, she was incredibly attractive, and she knew it. She had a body that men could not help but look at as she walked past, and just to rub it in, she never flaunted it, that just made people envy her even more, because she was still so obviously beautiful. She had all the  
>traditional signs of beauty, long legs, a small waist, long black tresses and a beautiful face, good skin. The only feature she had ever envied from another was her little sister's eyes, while she had plain brown eyes; Kagome had interesting midnight blue orbs.<p>

Still, despite all of this, she had still been denied, that Daiyoukai believed he was too good to even accept that small offering from her. She called him egotistical and other names, but maybe she was being harsh, maybe it was because he was a man of honour again. Maybe he did not want to end up pupping her and making her a concubine without asking her first. She did not like being wrong, and liked accepting or admitting it, privately or publicly even less, but maybe this situation did suit her. If he was a man of honour he would allow her to stay as a servant of someone if she played her cards right, and he would not hurt or ravish her.

But Kikyou could not help but just look on the matter that she had been denied. She could not help but think that as it was shown, he had been more interested 10 year old girl than she, a fully matured woman. It was not just any child he had wanted either, but her baby sister, little Kagome. She had even offered he takes her in addition to Kagome, like a freebie, not that she liked to refer to herself as such but he had declined. The child, he had said was the only one he wanted. That knowledge had confused her so much she had been shocked into silence, and she had stopped trying to seduce the Daiyoukai.

She had always known there was more to Kagome then met the eye, she had always guessed she was stronger than her illnesses spoke, but never dreamt she had holy powers. When Kikyou learnt that Kagome was a miko, a powerful one too seeming as her miko powers started to show early, she honestly worried for the girl. When she learnt it was because of her abilities that the Daiyoukai wanted to take her with him she honestly feared for the little girl's life. After all, why would a Daiyoukai want a miko, their natural enemy unless it was to kill them before they became too powerful? She had been brought up to believe that the only good demon was a dead demon, but said demons learnt the same things about mikos.

But with this suspicion came the fact that he was honourable, and there no honour in killing a child. Besides, there was something in the way the demon spoke, and it was non-emotion, demons do not feel, but there was something about the Lord that reassured her that Kagome's life was not in danger at all. He seemed to want to protect her, and protect her as his own, his own what, she did not know, but it could not be pack he wanted to make her right?

He gave them the money, lots of it, and that settled it, Kagome was his, she well and truly belonged to him, and he was taking her with him. When that happened she could not help to feel as though she had been beaten by Kagome, because she had been preferred by someone for the first time. Because the demon lord wanted her, to protect her, and to even pay for her, and take only her with him, but when it came to Kikyou, he barely even registered her existence before shooting her down, and so that was when the rage settled in.

For the first time in her life, Kikyou was jealous of someone else. For the first time in her life, someone had something she wanted, and was in a situation that she wanted to be in. She viewed it as a better situation as well, because the in her eyes, an undeserving child was living in a place surrounded by riches, under the protection of a very powerful, very well known and feared demon Lord. She was stuck in a poor village, she protected herself and others, and she had never been under the protection of another since she was old enough to hold a weapon. She figured that it would feel rather nice.

She was not a spoilt child, even being the oldest child, she was not spoilt. Yet she had never been denied anything before, but that was because her wants were always so modest. She had never asked for anything more than a new bow be bought for her, or a new kimono, and because she seldom asked for things anyway, when she did, she always got everything she desired. It was new for  
>her to be denied, a shock, she had never had to learn how to fight for what she wanted, because it had always been handed to her on a silver platter, she guessed though that now would be a good time to learn.<p>

She felt a little guilty about leaving the village the way she was, she was well aware that she had been relied upon by them for several years. She had fought for them, even gone out hunting at one time when the men who usually did it had gone down with a fever. Naturally knowledgeable she had taken to tutoring young ones, especially about how to shoot a bow correctly, her leaving for so long, so unexpectedly would come as a shock to the system. The people she felt most guilty about was the affect this had on her parents, they had already lost one daughter to the Western Lord after all.

She had always known that jealousy existed, but that was as far as the emotion envy went for her, she had never actually before been given the cause to feel it for another. She had never dreamt that she would feel jealous of her siblings; after all, she was the eldest, and the one they all looked up to and turned to be looked after. She certainly never dreamt that of all people, she would ever feel jealous of her little sister, not that sickly, weakling little girl. Yet still it seemed that the child was, as unintentional as it may be, one-upping her at practically every turn of life. She did not want to dislike her for it, but that what was happening.

For example, barely a fortnight ago, a week since Kagome had been taken, Kikyou had found she had miko powers. They were not very strong, barely the level of Keade, and Keade was only considered good because of her knowledge of herbs and she could read and write. She was not a strong miko, but the powers were present, and that was good enough for her because it made her special, barely a couple a born every generation after all. She could not wait to share the happy news with not just her family, but the village, the world.

The huge celebration, the copious praise and presents and attention never came. It was not big news because it had already been done by someone in the same family. Kagome was also a miko, and what was more, she was a better one, younger, more powerful, and a more loveable, if completely pathetic person anyway. Her powers had shown early, no one knows quite how early, Keade still had not said how long she had known, and even then that did not give a definite answer, but it meant Kagome was very powerful, or at least would be, in time.

Of course, Kagome was no longer part of the village, though not forgotten she did not belong with them. Kagome would always be on their minds and their hearts and they would also feel guilty and sorrowful, but from the moment they picked up that bag, Kagome was lost to them. She was a possession of that Daiyoukai now, as a pet, or a plaything or as pack, either way, she was a lot better off. She was physically absent, but somehow still here, somehow still snatching away all of the attention, all of the glory, all of the praise.

Not a week ago Kikyou had gotten a proposal from a nearby Lord, he was a minor Lord, he did not have much land, but he was respectable. Marrying a minor Lord was all good and well, when you are but a small, poor village girl yourself it is a dream come true, it should have been. She was proud of herself, to catch his eye, to become his betrothed, she expected everyone else to notice that too. But what was marrying a minor Lord, no matter how many riches he may happen to have against being handpicked o live with the most powerful Daiyoukai in Japan?

She was the eldest child here, her! She was the warrior, the beautiful woman, the one who was meant to be revered for her miko powers. She was the one people were meant to envy, but loved too much to really initiate it. How come though it was her sister who was getting all of the lucky turns in life, while she was left with normality? How come Kagome got to live a fairytale while she was stuck in the real world? What did Kagome do to warrant the fairness of allowing her to break out of tradition and live a dream?

This was so unfair; she could not even begin to describe the levels of how it was so. Their positions should at the very least be reversed! Sitting around and complaining though was not going to get anything done. If you want a task completed and you want it completed fully and correctly then you have to get up and do it. if she wanted the positions reversed, or at ;least get close to the Demon Lord, the it was up to her to make it so.

First things first, she had to get herself inside the Western Palace, but she did not think that would be too difficult. Based on her observations, and admittedly assumptions, so far, the Western Lord, Sesshoumaru, was not a heartless Daiyoukai, and on top of that, he genuinely cared for her little sister Kagome. She could simply claim she desperately wanted to see her little sister, and she was a little bundle of joy and pleasant to be around, she did miss her and wanted to see her again. What is more, she was certain Kagome wanted to see her too, she must miss their family, and she would not let Sesshoumaru hurt her.

Once she was inside the Western household, under the pretence of it being a short stay, she could start getting closer and closer to the Daiyoukai. She could start with little things, things that were inconsequential, if she was obvious from the beginning, he would kick her out straight away. She had to start out small, she could be obvious, that is, flirt, with him later. She would sweetly offer him things such as bring him tea and sake, acting all innocent and shy, and eventually he would fall for her, he would not be able to resist, she was sure of it.

If she could do this, and she was confident she could, she would not need to get Kagome out of there. She was certain her charms were enough to win over the stoic Demon Lord, but if Kagome was as close to his heart as she believed, Kagome would actually serve as a great use. She could use the child as her key to get to him instead of an obstacle in the way. She liked friends who were fond of her family, and quickly cut ties with those who could not accept her family or existing friends. She was sure everyone was the same, even this Lord, if she expressed her love for Kagome; he was likely to be more willing to let her in to his heart.

Kagome had not one upped her at all it seemed. She had just opened up the previously bolted door to a world of opportunity. She had to be patient and give it time; after all, demons were used to waiting seeming as their life spans were so much longer than humans'. But it would be no more than a year she was sure and she would find herself at the very least a concubine to the great Daiyoukai of the West, if not a wife.

She could not expect the youkai to feel, no matter how much hour and heart he seemed to have even from her brief interaction with him. She could not expect him to feel much for her, she knew even in the best case scenario he would never feel anything for her, a mere lowly human to him. Becoming his mate therefore she understood was a farfetched dream, best left in the world of fantasy where dreams come from.

However, she was well aware that the richer Lords are known to take several wives instead of, or even along with, a mate. The nobles lived a different life, in a completely separate world even from common folk, so it was the same for youkai and human. Such disregard from women and their feelings is common among the aristocracy, and not minded, by both the men and women involved. Therefore, she could become a wife of his, and she did her homework, such nobles make sure each wife if happy and well cared and provided for.

Three weeks of waiting and wallowing in the shadow of her younger sister was long enough. It would take about two days ride to get to the Western Castle, (and probably a further week to get them to let her in and grant her an audience with the Western Lord and her sister). While she was on her way there she could brush up on her demon law. She grabbed a bag from her room to pack everything she would need for the journey, and the stay, although she planned on getting the Lord to provide her with such necessities.

She packed her finest kimonos and miko dress, if she was going to be seen in the demonic court she had to look presentable. She was not rich or royalty and her clothing would be nothing compared to what was available there, but it was the best she could do. She had her weapon as it was unwise to go anywhere without some form of defence and a minimal amount of food and water, she did not want things weighing her down.

She felt a little guilty about leaving the village the way she was, she was well aware that she had been relied upon by them for several things over the years. She had fought for them, even gone out hunting at one time when the men who usually did it had gone down with a fever. Naturally knowledgeable she had taken to tutoring young ones, especially about how to shoot a bow and arrow correctly, her leaving for so long, so unexpectedly would come as a shock to the system, it was rather sudden. The people she felt most guilty about was the affect this had on her parents, they had already lost one daughter to the Western Lord after all.

The best she could do though was leave a note saying she would be absent from the village for an indefinite amount of time. She did not reveal in the note where it was she was going, only that they were not to worry; she was more than capable of looking after herself. This way there was a chance that she was just on one of those little adventures of hers that she embarked on from time to time and she always came back alive and well, better and stronger in fact. She shook her head vigorously to get rid of reside feelings of guilt about leaving that remained, and that was it, she was off, riding on the back of her black stallion, Thorn.

Meanwhile, at the Western Castle, Sesshoumaru, Daiyoukai and Killing Perfection was seeking out willing monks and mikos, trying to find someone to train and help Kagome. At the same time he went about keeping the knowledge she was slowly dying a painful death from her while going about trying to save her life.


	16. A Daiyoukai's tear

**Wooh, another chapter done. Attention, I am going away for a while, probably a fortnight on holiday to see my grandfather and have a family union sort of thing for his birthday. You will have to wait a week for updates on pure of heart or age of the youkai.**

**Enjoy and REVIEW!**

**Love you all, until next time – Saphireanime. **

**Chapter 16 – A Daiyoukai's tear**

Sesshoumaru sat in his study with his pup sleeping across his lap. It had been a week since he had read the scroll, and as expected, Kagome had not improved, and had gotten much worse. He had yet to find a suitable miko to train her, as all the ones he had encountered had refused to help a Daiyoukai even if it was to save the life of a human child. Perhaps being a human hater, and having the reputation of one as a Lord was a mistake, it certainly seemed to be coming back to haunt him.

He cursed himself for looking down on them in his adolescent years, and not caring for them when he became the Lord of the West. He wanted to blame the holy people who refused him for his pup's suffering, but when he put himself in their place he found he could not. It seemed his insensitivity and failure to care was to blame for him losing the one person he had ever cared about.

He was sorry, he was sorry for all he had ever done, and all he could do now was try to control her symptoms and alleviate the pain. Having the best healers in all the land at his beck and call he surmised he could keep her alive for about another week and a half, but if he found no one to help her by then she would be lost, and so would he. Sesshoumaru did not want to resort to threats and violence to get someone to help his child; it was that attitude towards humans that put her in this situation in the first place.

He liked to think of himself as changed, Kagome had changed him, and violence and threats was the old him. However sometimes drastic times call for drastic measures, and if it was the only way he could save Kagome then it was the road he was going to walk down. He could start repairing the damage he had caused afterwards; he would have an eternity to make it up to the people. Why was he suddenly repulsed at the idea of threatening a being so much weaker than himself to help him? It must be Kagome's influence, she had indeed changed him so much in so little time, how could a being so small cause so much turmoil and conflict inside him?

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and a very nervous and flustered Jaken stood there. Sesshoumaru paused in his ministrations of bathing his pup's burning forehead in cool water to regard him. Jaken had changed because of his pup too; he had grown a smidgen of confidence, although that may be because he had stopped kicking him so much. The kappa was more apt at his jobs like a real retainer instead of an annoyance and was worried for the girl.

He bathed more often than once a month as well, Sesshoumaru often had him watching her in the garden to make sure she was safe, and being a child she labelled him a play mate and being in close proximity with him for so long, she ordered he was more pleasant to be near. Within three days she had the once cold and human hating toad prancing around wearing flowers and playing games with her like another child. It was amusing to watch, or at least it had been until she insisted Sesshoumaru join in, she often avoided his presence but eventually decided she might as well try to get along with him. Once he agreed and started playing one of her games he realized the same transformation had come upon him and the whole matter was no longer amusing.

"Speak Jaken," Sesshoumaru said; staring at his retainer in the doorway, his voice was no longer as harsh as it usually was with the little kappa. His words were the same, but there was no longer an underlying threat, or a cold glint in his amber eyes. He could not be bothered to terrify his servant if he was honest; he was too preoccupied by the pup slowly dying in his arms. Although Jaken was braver than before, even around him, he was just as polite and loyal as before, and that the Daiyoukai was thankful for.

"There is a young woman by the name of Kikyou at the front gates milord," Jaken stated, waiting for orders to send her away. "She demands an audience with you, she says she is sister to Kagome," he carried on, noticing his Lord was not at all interested in his visitor. "I also noticed, although it is faint and weak, she had miko powers in hr aura, she may be able to help." That caught his Lord's attention immediately and he stood up with his pup in his arms clutched to his chest. He strode out of the room and down to the main hall, Jaken following at his heels.

"Send her in," he ordered, sitting down on the thrown stationed in the middle, it may be a dire situation but he would keep the situation formal, he had an image to uphold. Not two minutes later, a woman was walking up to him, wearing miko attire, a small respectful smile on her face. This woman and his Kagome looked so similar it was obvious that they were related. She did not seem to have any malicious intent; her aura was too pure, although it was dark, like a demon's. And Jaken was right; she was a miko, not strong, but most likely willing and able to help. He noticed something else as well; it was the woman who tried to seduce him.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," she greeted with a low bow, "a pleasure to meet you." She was pretending they had not met. That was fine with him, this was the first time they had formally met after all, the first meeting he would put behind him for now. He nodded back in greeting but did not intend to waste any time in greetings or pleasantries; he had a job that needed to be done, like saving his pup, and he needed to know if this Kikyou could and would. He did not know her, but she shared the same blood as his pup and that would grant her access to his time and kingdom for now.

"You are a miko," he stated bluntly, he did not need to dress it up, and it did not require the answering nod he got, but she did not start speaking again. "My pup, Kagome," he started, rising to his feet and walking towards her slowly, "is very ill, this is because she has not been training with her  
>miko powers and releasing the welling power within her, she is slowly dying, because she is too young to control them. You shall help her." he said, not caring whether or not she knew how or whether or not she gave consent, surely she was able to, she was a miko and that was all that mattered. He turned around and swept out the room, his pup still asleep in his arms, missing the<br>look of shock on Kikyou's face at the news. He heard that she was not following until Jaken prodded her in the back, "My Lord has not yet dismissed you, follow him." Then he heard her hurried footsteps as she caught up to him, following at his heels until they reached his pup's room. He gently laid her on the bed, tucking the covers up and around her before turning around to regard the miko, Kikyou.

"You shall have a room adjoining this one," he started to explain, leaving no room for argument or explaining the situation first. "You shall have the finest kimonos and jewellery if you wish along with miko dress to suit your station. You shall be fed of course, but meals shall be brought to this room by servants until Kagome is better, for while she is ill, you shall remain in here. If you want for anything, alert me and this Sesshoumaru shall make sure you are given it, this of course includes personal indulgences along with healing herbs, equipment and help. All I ask of you miko-sama," the honorific was to ensure her cooperation, flattery tended to do that, "is that you heal Kagome."

Kikyou shook her head in wonder and zoned back into the room. She got her bearings quickly considering what was happening to Kagome. She had just assumed the Daiyoukai would have known of this too, he seemed pretty adamant about protecting her. Now here he was asking her for help, and he had taken her in and offered to give her whatever she desired, that was not bad for one day, of course this did come with the price of a dying little sister...

"I can heal her," she said, "once she has released her power there will be instant relief. It will probably take a couple of years for Kagome to learn to master her powers, she has always learnt fast after all. Most early bloomers probably would not learn control until at least 14 years of age; if I know my sister she will have reached that level by 12. She will need to be awake in order for me to help her as we need to communicate and work together."

"If this is done you can begin?"

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru."

He waved his hand over the child and Kikyou felt it in her aura, as a miko she had an affinity for understanding the variety of aura types, she felt a curse or a spell being lifted. Kikyou cast a questioning look at the demon Lord, why would he curse her himself? "She was in pain," he explained shortly, "when she was asleep she was not suffering, and the body was not using any energy, she could live longer." After a few seconds, Kagome started to stir in her sleep; she was weak, weary and ill. But alive and awake. Once she saw Kikyou her little face lit up with joy and she lifted a hand to stroke the side of her big sister's face being too ailed to do much else.

"Kiki?" Kagome asked in a small voice, using her childhood name for her, when she was ill, she always reverted back to a younger age. Kikyou had always adored the nickname it had been part of the connection she felt to her sister. She smiled down at the young girl managing to smile up at her, "It is alright Kagome, I am here now. I need you to listen to me so you can get better okay?"

She nodded.

"Alright, close your eyes but don't go to sleep, hold my hand," Kikyou said reaching out, "make sure to listen to me at all times." Sesshoumaru was still in the room but seeming as he did not seem to have any intention of interfering, Kikyou left him be. "Right now I want you to ignore everything you can hear, and clear your head of all noise, focus only on my voice and your own being, like how Lady Keade taught you to meditate." She felt the little body relax and the hands holding hers went limp.

"I am going to show you your miko powers now Kagome," she told her and sent her own spirit into the little girl. She searched for her soul and opened it up revealing a huge ball of swirling pink light for Kagome to see.

"It is so pretty," the child gasped.

"This is your power Kagome."

"Mine? But it's so massive!"

"You are very powerful. It is this power that has been making you so ill as of  
>late."<p>

"But I have been ill all of my life."

"That is due to a chest infection you received when you were an infant. This illness is purely because your power is too large for you to contain. Once you can control this you will no longer be ill and you can heal your chest and lungs as to reduce you getting ill so easily."

Kagome merely looked on in awe.

"Now we need to lessen this power on a regular basis until you are old enough to contain them. If we do not do this soon, they will overrun you and hurt you." She refrained from telling the child that they would do more than hurt her.

"How?"

"It would be easiest to just pass it to me this time. When you are a fully fledged miko, not only will you be using your powers more, but you will be able to store this amount of energy within you easily, maybe even more. For now though just focus on our joined hands and pass your energy through them to me, I will be able to contain them. I know it sounds complicated, but focus on the power and then channel it out of you, it is something that can only be done and not easily explained."

It was hard at first, but once Kagome got the hang of it the energy was pouring out of her and into the hands of Kikyou who stored it within her own soul. The pour of power into her was a wondrous feeling, and Kagome had so much of it, it was dwarfing hers and she grew greedy for it. It became apparent though after a little while that Kagome was driving herself to exhaustion giving her power away.

"Stop," she said, letting her hands go, "that is enough, you can contain the rest yourself." She drew away and stood up, Kagome's illness was gone. There was colour in her cheeks and she was smiling, saved. Sesshoumaru breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you for your help priestess, I am forever thankful," he nodded his head in respect.

Kikyou smiled, "I will do anything for my little sister, in fact, it would have been dishonourable of me not to do everything in my power, and she is family after all."

"Either way, I would like to offer you a reward of your choosing for your assistance." This threw Kikyou into turmoil, while she wanted to use this as a chance to get closer to the Daiyoukai, at the same time she did not want to accept something for helping her sister, it would be like putting a price on her, and she did not want to do that."

"No payment is required My Lord, I am just happy to help and to have come in time."

"You ningen should stop saying 'no' and start saying 'thank you'," he suggested.

"Well then, if I could stay here for a short while..."

"You will do so regardless to continue to train my ward."

"Then, maybe some kimonos, I did not pack very many."

"You shall have a fully equipped wardrobe. I shall also lead you to a seamstress in the family for you to have more clothing fitted priestess."

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama. And please, if I am to stay here, do call me Kikyou, if you do not mind, I am Kagome's sister after all."

He regarded her for a few moments before simply nodding. She seemed to notice tension building in the room and it became clear that Sesshoumaru wanted her to leave so he could be alone with his pup. She still did not just want to leave, it was her sister after all however it would seem rude to stay so she created an excuse, "I'll have Jaken show me my room," and beat a hasty retreat from the room.

Kagome looked up from the bed she was lying in and managed to give Sesshoumaru a small smile. "How are you feeling Kagome?"

"Very well actually, better than I have in a long while."

"Your illness?"

"Completely gone."

"That is good to hear." He looked down so he was not looking into her eyes before admitting what it was he really wanted to say, "I was worried. It is my fault you had to suffer while in my care, I was neglectful and did not pay attention to your needs as a miko and that resulted in you feeling pain, for this, I am sorry, Kagome. I am so sorry."

"It's not all your fault Sesshomaru-sama, this would have happened eventually."

Sesshoumaru strode over to her and crouched down to her level. Then he surprised both of them by enfolding her into a crushing hug, cradling her to his chest as he buried his nose into her hair and thanked the Kamis (and Kikyou) that she, and his heart, had been allowed to live. "Kagome." He whispered softly as a lone tear of gratitude trickled down his cheek. 


	17. A youkai's fear

**So now you all know who almost killed the Daiyoukai, it was the dragon. And Sesshoumaru did not die and then come back from the grave, that is just what he thinks happens to begin with because he is pissed. There is more Sess/Kag in the next chapter – adios until next time – Saphireanime. **

**A Youkai's fear**

Ryuukotsusei was pissed; there was no other word for it. He paced the ground flexing his claws, red eyes flashing as he reminisced. Suddenly he raised his snout up to the night sky and let out an ear-splitting snarl, one that would set terror deep into the hearts of even the bravest and strongest men, human or youkai. But his aim was not to intimidate, not this time, for he was not hunting, he was not out for blood, for he was confused and his pride was wounded as he tried to figure out how his enemy had done the impossible.

It was just typical that the great dog would find a way to cheat death, even when on his deathbed; he was bound to find a way to do it. It was just to spite him he was sure of it, for that was who the dog was, he always found a way. Why was it that he could never defeat him, even when he planned and ambushed and tried, he insisted on surviving? How had he done it... that was not what he really wanted to know, the fact was that he had come back. But why did he do it... why did he keep beating him so much so that he cheated death to one up him?

Ryuukotsusei frowned, confusion giving way to an emotion he felt much more comfortable and natural feeling – anger, and hate, but mainly anger. He let out another loud growl that pierced the dark night, sending the small animals scurrying into the undergrowth in fear. They feared him, the animals, the normal mortal animals, the humans, the youkai, even the two tails which never seemed to fear anything. Everything was always sent running from one snarl, one look from his eye, from one whisper of his name. He was feared, he was happy with that reputation, it was the way things should be... all except him.

Oh yes, it all came back down to that blasted dog again, the Daiyoukai of the West, he was the truly fearless one. He felt some sort of grudging respect for the demon just for that, so intense it was that he even reluctantly admitted it. He was the only one who had looked him in the eye and had not even flinched. His stoic expression never slipped while he did battle, and he could smell no fear on him either, he was not just making it. Sesshoumaru truly was not afraid of him, he was not afraid of anything, and he was the killing perfection.

Everyone knew Sesshoumaru's name, especially amongst youkai, everyone knew the killing perfection. That is part of the reason why he wanted to kill him so badly, because he was better known than him. When you murmured 'great demon', all you thought of was the dog, the great white dog, never the great dragon. But he would be known if he managed to kill him, everyone would know Ryuukotsusei, the great dragon who slew the killing perfection. Yes he was jealous, it was petty some could say, though would not live long if he heard them say it, but there were other reasons why he wanted him dead.

It started with jealousy of him. He was jealous of how famous he was, he was jealous of him lands, of his inherited title and his castle, and all he was as Lord. When he fought him the first time it was for territory, and he lost badly, and he left the battle feeling even more jealous of him. He grew jealous of his skill at fighting, for it was so much better than his own, it was so much better in every aspect too which jest served to rile him even more.

He was stronger than he was, he was an incredibly strong demon and despite his size, Sesshoumaru was stronger. And his skill too, it was amazing, he was so fast, and every move was so well placed, not one movement was made without complete confidence. It was tantalizing and addictive to watch in a way, because it was all so well coordinated that it was like a deadly dance where he was the doomed partner of him. He wanted to watch but he was part of the fight and he was so distracted by it he was even worse an opponent.

What riled him even more was the fact that Sesshoumaru did not kill him – yes it angered him. Sesshoumaru did not fear him, but the dragon did not fear him either. Sesshoumaru respected him for that just as he had gained Ryuukotsusei's respect, for the same reason. Sesshoumaru could have killed him; there were several points in their battles which were all serious where the great dog could have dealt a fatal blow. But he never did, he never _chose _to, and Ryuukotsusei, lying at his mercy had had to ask why.

He knew Sesshoumaru was the killing perfection, but his levels of skill and strength still far surpassed all he could ever have imagined from the great dog. After the first time he ended up lying prostrate before him with a sword at his neck, and he thought it was his end. Yet without a word Sesshoumaru stared into his red eyes with his piercing eyes and then without a word, he sheathed his sword and walked away, leaving him lying there. He stayed there on the muddy ground for perhaps a full hour, staring into the darkening sky before skulking off, defeated.

The second time it happened all the dog offered him was a 'hn' before walking off. And the third time it happened Ryuukotsusei had to ask why. It was then he learnt that the dog respected him for the same reason he respected the Lord. "You do not fear," the dog had never been one for many words and it was all he needed to offer, Ryuukotsusei understood, he agreed, for it was indeed something to admire, this, not fearing.

Sesshoumaru looked at him with a stoic expression, not a twitching eye, not a flinch when they fought. He stared back at the dog with the same absence of fear, yet unlike the Western Lord he had the emotion of anger and hate, for he could not fight with nothing behind it at all. Upon seeing this in him the Lord's interest had been piqued, and he had not killed him, he was much more interesting when alive to be fought again after all. "I pity you," the words still boiled his blood, he still did not know why he had said it, but one thing he did know with full certainty was that the moment he said it, he vowed to kill him for the insult.

He had tried, oh he had tried, but it seemed he had cheated death just to prove him wrong. He had killed him, he had, he had killed the Lord of the West. There was no denying it, the Lord of the West had died by his scaled hand. He had had no vital signs, he remembered the moment clearly, his moment of triumph, he had heard his heartbeat stop. He had heard the heart tremble as it tried to do its job and fail as there was nothing left for it to pump. The dog had died at his feet, for he listened, and in his chest he heard nothing but silence. It was hard to believe yes, but the evidence was there in front of his eyes and ears – and _still _the dog lived.

Ryuukotsusei had watched his last breath leave his body, nobody carried on living after that – surely. Yet still, the dog continues to live. He had bled him almost dry, he had watched in sadistic amusement, barely able to contain his excitement and bloodlust and the blood pooled around him. He had even lapped up some of the precious liquid, drenching himself in the red rivers that flowed from his body. He still had the red stains of his scales; he still had the wonderful taste in his mouth in a sign to all in the forest, no, a sign to all in Japan who knew the great dog that he had fallen, that he, the great dragon Ryuukotsusei had been the one to fell him. He had not a drop of blood left in his body, and still the dog lived.

He had crunched his bones and even bruised his organs. He had sunk his fangs and claws into his flesh and mauled and mauled until it was not a body there at all but a bloody mess of fleshy ribbons, and still the dog lived. In triumph he had roared his defeat of the great Western Daiyoukai for the world to hear as he stood over his deceased form. Finally he had had his revenge for the insult, finally he had beaten him – and still, _still, _the damn dog continued to LIVE!

He snarled once more, this was not his first attempt on the dog's life, (and it looked now that it was not his last either) but it certainly had been the most successful by far seeming as he had actually succeeded this time. Well, at the very least, it had seemed like he had at the time, the body had not been moving or breathing and the heartbeat was non-existent. Yes he had killed him, but obviously he had not been thorough enough. Why did that damn Daiyoukai refuse to fall and just for once, remain fallen – how many times did he have to kill him?

Maybe fate was trying to tell him something here, for if he was honest, not once had he beaten him in a fair fight, not once had he beaten before this time, for he had won the fight, Sesshoumaru had run away, but he was not dead that was all. The only reason he had gotten so damn close to ultimately defeating him this time was because he had tricked him. He had led him astray, attacking villages at the edge of his border and then moving further out still. Sesshoumaru had known he was playing with him and that he was probably being tricked. But he had been too arrogant, too sure of himself and made the vital mistake that Ryuukotsusei knew he could not help but make, but would in order to kill him – he followed him.

He had drawn him out of his own home, and into unfamiliar land – his territory. Once he had been certain the demon was tired after running after him and suitable lost he had put his plan into action. For there, he had ambushed him, hundreds of lower class demons, and a few higher ones who wanted to kill the daiyoukai of the West, and few minions who were just loyal to him out of fear and did everything he said. The plan had taken months to devise and it taken a month or two on top of that to draw him out, almost a year to kill him. There was no way it could fail, and so he had killed him thoroughly, yet still, _still, _he spears alive and well.

This begged the question though of just how he had come back from the grave, for that is what must have happened. He had been so beaten up he could barely move, and he had lost too much blood, he had been too injured to anything but watch his life fade away, it was his youki that saved him, his inner beast rather. Ryuukotsusei saw no reason to have two forms, he was his inner beast all the time, there was no need to be anything else, the inner beast was stronger and faster and ran on instincts, and it was instincts that kept you alive. Why Sesshoumaru had a humanoid form was beyond him – he always said he hated the species anyway so what was he doing impersonating one, as demonic as the human form was?

His inner youki was his instinct and seeing him in such danger it surrounded him and carried him off, back to his home land, Ryuukotsusei had not followed. The dog would be dead by morning, his youki being so weak could not carry him far, if he was not dead, which it seemed so, he would be dead in but a couple of hours. He could have tracked his youki and reached him in a day's time, and if he had, maybe he could have finished him off. If he had done that instead of being over confident with himself he would not b in this predicament now.

It all came back to that lack of fear though, it always did, and Sesshoumaru never showed any fear. Even when he was on the ground staring the blackness of death in the face, he showed no fear. He was not scared of him, and although he did not want to die, he was not scared of death either. He admired the dog again for that, and once more he was jealous, for he envied that silent and calm composure and understanding of the world he had.

Ryuukotsusei had always run from the death and the ravages of time. He had always tried to keep it at bay and stay alive for always and forever. But the Western Daiyoukai knew that death was just a natural part of life, it came to all but the Kamis, and therefore, one day he was bound to die. Daiyoukai lived for millennia, centuries more than youkai and hundreds of centuries more than weak mortal humans whose lifespan was but a breath in the expanse of time. The dog's father had lived for 3 millennia before he had fallen for a human and died by his claw, almost managing to trap him with his last breath, but not quite.

His son it would seem was stronger, and if he was not killed in battle, he may live for 100 millennia before dying, though it is unlikely he will live for a year more than that, youkai preferred to die in battle honourably before they became old and decrepit anyway. Ryuukotsusei was not a Daiyoukai, though he liked to think he was a strong as one. It was unlikely though that he would live for more than 10 millennia, even without doing battle. This was just more envy added, more and more reasons why he felt he had to kill him.

He snarled once more as he went back to his original train of thought. Not even his superior (and it was superior) Daiyoukai healing could have saved him, not after that extensive damage. That could only mean one thing, something less preposterous then him coming back from the land of the dead. Why the thought had not crossed his mind before was beyond him. Unlike him, the dog had loyal allies, allies who would help him because they genuinely _wanted _him to be well, and did not just help him out of fear and going where the power laid.

This meant that he had an ally in the forest, he had allies everywhere, all good Lords did he supposed, that is how they stayed alive and kept their titles and land. Decision made he ran, and he ran and ran and ran and did not stop for seven solid hours until he found the place Sesshoumaru's youki had carried him to. Like the place he had felled him there were traces of his blood here too, why he was still alive really was beyond him.

He could still smell him in the trees and the ground, even the air, even though it had been weeks since he last lay there. There was something else too, something other than Sesshoumaru, something otherworldly, something opposite... something... ... holy. There were faint traces of miko magic in the area, not purification, no, healing magic. Surely not though... should a miko have discovered him, even in that sorry state she would have purified him in an instant. But it seemed he was wrong once more – a miko had healed him.

Her power combined with his Daiyoukai haling allowed him to be better within a couple of days. More questions came to mind, how did he acquire such an ally – mikos hated youkai, especially Daiyoukai, so why, how – more jealousy rose within him. Miko magic usually dispersed after a day or two as well, but this magic had been around for over a week, that was not normal – unless the miko was _incredibly _powerful. No, there was no miko that powerful unless she did not know how to contain or mask her powers so just unleashed – but all mikos knew how to do that, unless she was an untrained child – but then no child was so powerful.

However, so much strange happenings had been going on, Ryuukotsusei would not rule out the possibility. He had to admit that if such a miko child existed then it was only typical that it would be Sesshoumaru who discovered and owned her. To heal those extensive injuries she must be powerful, and if she was only a child then she would mature to be more powerful yet – making Sesshoumaru more powerful. If he could not kill Sesshoumaru yet, then the child at least could not be allowed to live. He had to eradicate the miko, get her away from Sesshoumaru, or better yet, keep her, and her power, for himself.

Oh yes, that would really rile the dog, to take away his pillar of strength and use it for himself. A child, miko or not was still a child and would still be easily manipulated. A small, malicious smile crept onto the dragon's face and his sharp, dead fangs glinted in the moonlight. So the Lord of the West had acquired himself a young miko ally, this sure was an interesting find. He could not even be jealous about this for long, it was all highly amusing. A bunch of new questions sprang to mind, all revolving around this mystery girl.

He knew there was a high possibility she was young, but how young, maybe she was just a young child, how old exactly was this miko of his? How powerful was she, she was powerful yes, but was healing him the extent of her power, or could she do more? If she was really young, then just how much would her power mature to be, it could grow into something tremendous, couldn't it? How did he get the young miko to be his ally, to help him out of choice, surely the miko/youkai hate relationship applied to the Inu youkai too? How long had he had her, had she been following for long, had he had her before he followed him to fight?

His curiosity was getting the better of him, though it always has, it was eating away at him from the inside. Finding things out, learning, was even better than fighting, it was intoxicating, and he could not let this be for much longer. He had to look into this, find out about the miko and get her away from the dog and for himself, and soon, maybe even kill the dog for real this time while he was at it. He lifted his snout to the sky and let out a roar, perhaps it was time to pay the Western Lord – and _all _of his subjects a short visit.

He was not scared of him – he was not, and never would be.

He wasn't scared.

He would find him and the miko.

He would find him and kill him.

And the dog would know the true meaning of fear. He would get him to feel it, for death, for him, for defeat, he would make sure of it.


	18. The distractions

**Please enjoy and review! A few things to note before you read the chapter. SESSHOUMARU IS NOT INTERESTED IN KIYOU, it just seems like it and Kikyou thinks he is. Secondly, there are only about 10 chapters lefts until the end of the story, and then I will start my Sess/Souta story. **

**Oh and please review, they make me happy!**

**Chapter 18 – The distractions**

Sesshoumaru banged his head on his desk; he could not concentrate on his work at all. The papers he should be slogging his way through made quite a comfortable pillow for him too. There was no earthly reason really why he should be tired, he got plenty of sleep and ate well. Parenting... even though he only had a miniature role in it because she was occupied with lessons all the time and he was not one of the teachers, despite being the father, it was draining. He found himself staring out the window to where Sakura was teaching Kagome how to swim.

A small smile crept onto his face; the swimming lesson was taking place in the large Kio pond. She swam in and out of the fish, laughing as they tickled her toes. She even moved her mouth and arms as a fish would, she smiled, and laughed, and from his position way above them, seeing every detail from far away using his superior demonic eyesight, he did the same. This was definitely was not Sakura's idea, she never thought of anything like that. She was not stupid or incapable of thinking for herself, she was just a shy girl, and terrified of him, therefore she would never do anything that he had not ordered.

He should have known his pup would do this though; she always did have a mind of her own about these things. She had convinced the shy horse to do this for her just like he had demanded respect of Akito and affection from the servants, especially those in the kitchens. Within a week of being in his home she had won over everyone in the Western house with her bright smile and bubbly laugher and energetic attitude, and her being... just Kagome. She was a breath of fresh air and broke through his heart of stone and stoicism easily; he was a new Daiyoukai around her. But she was a child, and the love of a child always caused great changes.

Being a young child, she found the constant lessons boring; she already knew how to read and write and could speak using proper and dignified language. She did not care for learning other languages, not yet in any case; she did not plan to travel the world – not yet. She did not care for complicated maths either, she learnt all the basics quickly and that was enough for her. She did not want to work, she wanted to play and have fun, and that was the work of a child he had heard. He always relied on what he heard about childhood, and what it was and meant to be a child to base the truths and knowledge about it all on.

He did not really remember his own childhood, it seemed so long ago, and it was a long time ago as well, centuries ago. But even when he was technically a pup, when he was not fully grown, he never felt like, or acted like a child. Playing was not productive; it was something weak human children did, therefore it was something he snorted in derision at, he considered it a waste of time, he ignored it. But when observing this from where he was, looking at her smiling face, her bubbly laughter as she tried out different strokes in the water... he did not know what the feeling was. But it was such a nice feeling, one he did not want to end.

It felt slightly akin to envy, as if he was jealous of his own pup, but that was no it, he loved her far too much to ever want anything else than absolute happiness for her. It was different, like a reminder, but a reminder of something he had never had, never wanted either, no – that was not it either. He had wanted it, he had wanted then and he wanted it now, but because he never had the carefree attitude his pup did, or a playmate to be with he called such fun foolishness. Instead he had worked and studied and trained to fight as the killing perfection and never bothered with friends and fun and playing, and now – this was who he had become.

He was jealous of a child now, his own child in fact which made the whole thing so much worse for some reason, it did not seem quite right. He had the urge to go down there himself and splash in the water and play and have fun with his pup and act foolish and stupid and laugh with her. But if he were to do so then the game would stop because he had a reputation, a 'no messing' reputation. They would not believe him or include him because he was the cold and serious and stoic lord of the West and not a child looking for entertainment.

Besides, if he were to go down there now to play then this work would not ever get done, and it really, really needed to be completed. He looked down at the papers which kept him confined to his study and prevented him from being a pup, and cursed silently. Yes, this brought him back to his predicament with parenting and why it was so draining. It was because she was a miko, which was the trouble, and therefore needed a teacher. Honestly, Kagome was not the problem here; it was her sister currently staying under his roof with them – Kikyou.

She was a troublesome dilemma indeed, with everything she did and said and wore, and the way she acted, and everything, absolutely _everything _about the miko was a bother to him. it was all less than holy too, but it all actuality, most of it was probably not her fault, she was an incredibly attractive female – for a human that it. She could not help it if she was pretty, and neither would she, or should she want to or try to change that. She probably did not even notice the reactions she was eliciting, and it just made him want to get rid of her.

But he could not get rid of her, because if he was to get rid of her then Kagome would be in danger, and he could put up with anything as long as it saved her life. There was a knock on the door and said dilemma walked in, without even waiting for a confirmation to come in. Even now he was painfully aware of how she flaunted her body, wearing the smallest kimono he had provided her with. She had modified it herself too, cutting the neckline lower to show some cleavage, and the hem shorter, flashing more of her legs so that it was borderline indecent.

It hugged her figure perfectly, and the way she walked too added to the effect. She swayed her hips so much that it was obvious to all. All of her movements from the way she walked to how she casually swept her hair away from eyes and behind her ear back off of her face were so fluid and graceful, it was nice to look at. However it was also fake, the fluidity was a practised grace, a false grace, and because it did not come naturally to the trained eye such as his it lost its effect, not to everyone, but to him it did.

When he next looked at Kagome and how she bumbled along somewhat clumsily really, especially in comparison to her older sister, he had to say he preferred how his pup moved, and not because he was biased, he truly preferred it. He preferred everything about Kagome, her age, the way she dressed, the way she moved, the way she spoke, her looks, her expressive eyes, everything was just so Kagome, and everything about her sister was just so Kikyou. Apparently everything was always saying how alike they were, but that was not true, for when he looked, all he could see was a long list of startling differences.

She was bearing a mug of sake and some rice balls, just like earlier this morning and the night before. She had earned his trust and respect with the way she healed Kagome and helped her contain her miko powers. Therefore she saw no need to be nervous around him, or even seemed uncomfortable; sometimes he wished she was, her overconfidence irritated him. While he did not consider her a friend yet, neither did he dismiss her, he accepted what she brought and invited her to stay in the study with him while he worked.

She accepted immediately just like he knew she would and busied herself with a book of some sort, being silent thankfully. Now he found it was a lot easier for him to concentrate on his work, it was not that he liked her being near, but it was a lot better for Kikyou to be with him than free in the castle somewhere. With the way she was dressing and acting on a daily she had no idea of the heads that turned her way, every single male in his staff had... less than pure thoughts for her and she seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact stupid girl. She was actually in danger of being ravaged, which meant he had to protect her.

He did not want to say anything that might be considered insulting or warning, not because he wanted to spare Kikyou's feelings, but because he did not want to hurt those of his pup. Kagome was particularly close to her sister, calling her 'Kiki' whenever she saw her and greeting her with a hug in the mornings – she did not even greet him like that. In fairness he never put himself down for someone like that, wanting hugs and such acts of physical closeness and affection and should you look at him, you would not put the Daiyoukai down like that either. But it was enough to keep him speaking out against the older miko.

Looking at her though, at her movements at her dress at the way she talked, it was all too much. For her own safety he was going to have to say something soon, despite how his pup might take it, for Kikyou would tell her, they shared everything after all. Until then he would just have to keep the older girl close, keep an eye on her, and an eye of those who had eyes on her too. The need was thoroughly annoying because personally he would rather have next to nothing to do with her. She was needy, demanded to be the centre of attention and misread his intentions of keeping her close causing her to hang off him at every opportunity.

**Kikyou POV**

There was always a distraction...

Kikyou frowned as she curled up in the corner of the study, staring at the silver tresses of her Daiyoukai. Well he was not hers yet, but it was only a matter of time... after all, if he was not interested then why would he pay her so much attention all the time? If he did not fancy her then he would not ask her to stay and have an eye on her all the time? He had not made any movements towards her though and Kikyou was far too shy to do anything too brazen, but she was making progress with him – swift progress.

There was always a distraction though, whenever she tried to get close to him, something happened, someone came in, or he left the room, or she had to because it was time for Kagome's lesson, or a meal, or sleep. No matter what she tried, no matter how hard she worked, there was always a distraction, and frankly, it was wearing on her. Why couldn't she just get lucky with the Daiyoukai, seducing him with her outfits and behaviour was going far too slow and worse, she was getting... admiring eyes from others she did not want also.

Yesterday she had brought him sake and miso soup for breakfast – yes, he had sake for breakfast along with his tea, it seemed strange to her too. Apparently though it was just for the taste, Sesshoumaru could shoot poison from him claws, a very strong poison it was too. She had heard it was like acid, it could eat through practically everything, even metal and stone. Since he harboured such stuff in his body, it would be highly impractical for him to fall ill or injured by it, therefore, he was immune to all poisons. Alcohol was just a mild poison and that meant Sesshoumaru could not get drunk on it, even if he wanted to.

She walked in the usually way, a sway to the hips, wearing a low cut kimono, hair immaculate, a little make up on her face. He had taken one look at her and bid her to accompany him while he ate his breakfast, asking politely if she wanted to browse the shelves for books she liked to read. She could read, though not very well, and he respected her for the fact she had bothered to learn along with her training in miko powers and bow and arrow practise. She was glad he found another reason to respect her, while it was too much to hope for that he would ever consider her an equal, it was good to know he did not think down of her.

She struggled over some of the longer, more complicated words and seizing her chance asked Sesshoumaru to tell her what it meant. She got closer to him and he obliged her, spelling it out for her, and she leaned over his shoulder, touching him while doing so to see the scroll on the desk by the light. This continued for several minutes, and Kikyou was just about to initiate the next step of asking him to read a difficult passage to her, thus creating a bond when the distraction came. A tolling bell sounded throughout the castle.

Sesshoumaru reacted immediately, suddenly realizing the position they were in and what was happening, and how... intimate it seemed. He snapped the scroll shut and rose to his feet, "come, it is time for the midday meal." Yes, they had just spent five hours together, and Sesshoumaru must have been embarrassed by the fact for she did not see him for the rest of the day, he spent it training in the dojo and then spent time with Kagome. She did not even get to first base with him; she did not even get him to be affectionate, only a little respect. That was the first of many distractions that plagued her.

She prayed it would not be the same this time. She had assured herself it would not be, she had assured herself this time it would work, there was no way it could fail. She used her modesty and shyness as her secret weapon, pretending to be coy and having no ulterior motives or impure thoughts at all. Sesshoumaru was a smart man, Daiyoukai even, but he could not slander her if she was careful, he had nothing to base accusations upon. Besides, he genuinely cared for her little sister and so would not hurt her by insulting her precious 'Kiki'.

She made her way over to him with the sake and the snack in her hands; she walked slowly for effect, extra sway in her hips to make sure he noticed her. She had a small sexy smile curled around her lips and a low cut, short kimono that was sure to look fabulous on any woman even if it was not her. She was a vain woman and proud of it, she was well aware that she had good skin, and long, moist, luscious hair, almost as wonderful as the demon Lord in front of her. She had long legs, and was not skinny, but neither was she plump, she had large breasts and a pair of hips, plump ruby lips – she could go on, but you get the idea.

On top of this, she was not a dunce, she could read, though not very well, was a miko, if not very powerful, and was an expert with a bow and arrow. She was not rich, and that was her downfall, although a catch, she did not have the money or the title to follow it through. The best she could really hope for was the offer she had already received from the minor lord, and it was a good offer, she could live in the lap of luxury with it, and she did like him too, he was a nice man, not many people loved the man you are arranged to marry. Well, she did not exactly, _love _him, not yet anyway, but he was nice, and she was sure that she could grow to love him.

She crept closer to the demon Lord still, there had been so many outside distractions in the past, and so she was not going to let herself be one on top of that. She went closer than she really had to in order to set the offering down on the low table he was using to slave over his work. She noticed he had not gotten much done, he seemed... tired, there was pallor under his skin and slight dark smudges under his skin. He needed to sleep and... a secret smile stole onto her face, this was perfect, she would enquire about his health.

"Are you well Sesshoumaru sama?" It was a perfectly innocent question, anybody could have asked it, Kagome for example, and she was genuinely concerned about his health, because he was a nice person, for a demon that is. "You seem exhausted," she leaned a little closer, "there are dark circles under your eyes. Perhaps you are working too hard, you should really sleep more, and maybe train a little less, and you are so pale..." she leant closer still so their noses were almost touching. Yes, that's it and just a little more, just a tiny... bit... more...

Suddenly the door was slammed open without even a knock as Kikyou on instinct leapt away from him, putting two metres between them instantly. She swore, one day, she was going to kill that toad, he was so annoying! "MILORD! He screeched in that annoying high pitched squawk of his, running into the room on those short stubby little legs of his, making a beeline for his precious Sesshoumaru sama and completely ignored her presence though she was not quite sure why she was annoyed by this fact.

"THERE IS A DEMON IN THE COURTYARD. IT HAS KAGOME!"


	19. What mikos are for

**I know in chapter 11 it says Inuyasha defeats Ryuukotsusei, but he bounced back, not dead and ready to fight Sesshoumaru, the younger brother won't do. This chapter was done purely for self indulgence; I felt Kagome needed to purify something.**

**Chapter 19 – What mikos are for**

Sesshoumaru felt his heart miss a beat in his chest, that heart that he had for a long time denied the existence of. It rivalled the size of one belonging to a holy man when it came to Kagome, but only when it came to her, she was the only one he truly loved, so the only one he truly cared for. Kikyou was forgotten, and he was frozen in place as he processed his retainer's words. Then in a moment he was out of his seat and dashing down the stairs in the direction of the courtyard Kikyou left to follow him after her sister at her slower, human pace.

When he got there his eyes went immediately to Kagome being held in the huge clawed hand on what looked to be a dragon youkai. He felt a huge swirl of protectiveness and what could have quite possibly been possessiveness build up inside of him. It was going to be released soon in the massacre of the one threatening his pup. He was quite surprised that Kagome was not dead yet, they were usually quite quick with their kill, and never played with their food. They were not like Inus like him who enjoyed the hunt just as much as catching the prey.

Akito was the one keeping his pup alive, and he was fighting his hardest, without him, she would have been dead long ago. He was a valiant fighter, his foot work was excellent, the best he had seen, even if he was not all that good with a sword, it was the benefit of being a good dancer he guessed. Every time he got the chance he launched himself up at the demon, trying to reach the little girl who had earned his respect, and captured his heart soon afterwards. He fell short every time, he did not have the skill to rescue her, but he did.

Sesshoumaru rushed forward, acid whip shooting out of his fingers towards the youkai. Seeing him, the youkai jumped back and Sesshoumaru recognized him. He was a retainer of his greatest enemy, Ryuukotsusei, and it was just like that coward to send a lackey to prey on those close to him. he did not know his name and he did not care, he was a faceless demon and he was going to be dead in a matter of minutes anyway. One of his scaly, clawed hands tightened around the little girl in his grip and Kagome screamed in pain.

In that moment Sesshoumaru saw red, he growled lowly and felt his inner beast rising, that demon was not just going to die; it was going to be destroyed. He was going to torture it and then mutilate it, tearing its limbs off one by one. He was going to find that cowardly dragon Ryuukotsusei too, the one that he had been a fool enough to mildly respect at one point and terrorise him until he was begging to die. To go against him was foolish and usually ended in your death, to go against a small child though was another matter, it was cowardly and reckless and dishonourable, and it _was _going to end in total destruction.

He lashed at the beast's wrist, but although he heard the dragon's cry of pain, he did not drop the little girl. Then the dragon retaliated, striking out with his tail, but he did not hit him, he was far too fast to be felled by him. But the dragon knew this, the silver haired dog was far too skilled, by he had not been the one he had been aiming for. "Akito!" Screamed the child in fear and worry and he turned to see the dancer flying across the sky.

He landed with a pained grunt on the floor several hundred metres away. Sesshoumaru knew that several of his ribs must be broken just from that strike. He was covered in gashes too, he had been fighting before he arrived on the scene and sustained many injuries in his desire to protect Kagome. He was proud of that man, he was young, and gruff too, he always had been, and still was, even after meeting his sweet young ward. He claimed to care for no one but himself, yet when the time called for it, he was prepared to lay down his life for one who needed it. That is why he hired him after all, he was Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Lands and feared Daiyoukai, he always had the best Japan had to offer.

He lunged at the dragon in anger, he wanted to transform, but the shock of his loyal Akito being flung across the sky distracted him. He could not lose control now, when h did he was a feral being, and there was no telling of whether or not Kagome would be safe. He doubted his inner beast would harm her, but killing this dragon would require an intense amount of skill and precision. He could not attack him and accidentally end up harming the child, and when you are a gigantic dog, you usually end up causing more damage than you mean to.

He managed to strike his snout and a couple of gashes to his side before he got hit himself. He somersaulted through the air to land on his feet and jumped straight back into battle. Reinforcements had arrived, but he shouted at them to stay back, this was his fault, it was his duty to look after Kagome, and he did not want anybody else to get hurt doing what he should do himself and wind up like Akito. With claws outstretched he lunged at the dragon once more, aiming for his heart, it was the only way to kill the dragon, he healed scratches you made anywhere else, but he was not as dumb as the one he worked for.

The little girl he was fighting for was moved so the hand holding her was directly over his heart. He was going too quickly, and if he continued on his claws would go straight through the girl, he was going to kill her. He did the only thing he could in that moment, he moved while he was in the air to move him out of the line of fire he was in, retracting his claws for safe measure. Doing this unbalanced him and he twisted and fell through the air trying to get his bearings again before he hit the ground so he would land on his feet.

The dragon was obviously not going to allow him that chance, he was using his little pup against him, he obviously knew all the dirty battle tricks there were. His tail lashed out again, a dragon always used its tail – it was the strongest and biggest limb in its body after all. He was unable to get out of the way, he was unable to even curl into a ball or move his arms to defend himself, it struck his side and he was sent flying like Akito. His chest exploded in pain as three limbs cracked from the impact and he spun around in circles in the air.

The skin was broken and blood stained his white haori, but that hardly bothered him, he had lost blood before. The first tree he hit he went straight through, leaving nothing but a large pile of sawdust as he carried on barrelling straight forward. He saw Kagome crying for him and he heard her cry out his name in fear. Three trees later he could not hear or see anything, the black spots entered his vision from the sides and he tried to blink them back and remain conscious but upon closing his eyes to do so, they refused to open once more.

He could not have been out for more than a minute, but that was long enough for Kagome to think that the worst had happened. She was young and was new to the concept of there being a wide line between unconsciousness and death. She was not to know that it would take a lot more than that to knock him out for any substantial amount of time and even more to kill him. She was not a demon either and with her weaker senses she could not hear his heartbeat and his breathing. He wanted to reassure her, but he could not, for his body was refusing to obey him.

His limbs would not move when he told them to, they were too battered and bruised and cut up, a couple may have even been broken, he did not even know. It was all pain to him, maybe on different levels and in different ways, but the vital knowledge was all he needed, he could not move them. His broken ribs gave his chest agony so he could not cry out to her either; a whisper was all he could manage. The haziness from his recent spell of being unawares still remained so his mind was still in a fog he could barely think straight.

He tried to stare at the scene to know what was happening, he needed to see whether the reinforcements were managing to protect his ward, but his eye muscles revolted against him too and refused to open more than the mere crack they were already at. It was just enough to see her though, it was enough to see she was alive for now, and it was enough to see her tears. She was frightened, but not for herself, but for him, and for those being injured trying to help her. She was inconsolable and he could feel her... losing control?

He knew that feeling very well, when you feel the mental restraints you have placed over something deep inside you snap. It had happened to him enough times when he was fighting and it had almost happened to him today to help her. But Kagome was not a demon, his little Kagome was a human, she was a miko at that, about as far away from a demon you can get. So that begged the question of what exactly she was losing control of. And then he felt it, a huge ball of miko energy building up around her in a deadly aura.

The dragon felt it too, and he tried to throw her from him to save himself, but it was too late. Kagome glowed white, and the miko energy around her intensified, he felt it scorching him from where he lay, and he was several hundred metres way, simply observing. It took a moment for him to realize what was happening, he had never before watched or felt it happen. He had never been in such close proximity to a miko while she did this, and in that moment he learnt why exactly it was that youkai and mikos were natural enemies. They were born to kill demons and their power was designed to purge their very existence.

He watched as his ward purified the demon. He had never been purified himself before, but he felt the after effects of it himself, and even from the distance he was from what was happening, it made him shudder. Being purified is having your very essence ripped from you and burnt away and the rest of your body just disintegrates, it is horrible, it is more than being burnt, many people still believe that is all it is. You are not just killed, there is no body left, you are destroyed, it is as if you never existed, memories are all that is left.

The dragon did not even have time to roar, and then he was gone. He saw Inuyasha charge in out of nowhere, it seemed he had just gotten back from his latest mission and he caught her before she touched the ground. That little whelp, he had said he had defeated the dragon Ryuukotsusei, true he had never said he had killed him, but he had been under the impression he was dead. This just came to show you should never trust a half breed or send a hanyou to kill a full demon, it must have been the humanity in him that prevented him from landing a finishing blow. Now because of it his ward had been placed in danger.

"Sesshoumaru!" He heard his brother calling his name, but he was still unable to answer to tell him where he was. He was not sure whether he wanted him to find him in such an undignified and defeated position. "SESSHOUMARU!" He screamed louder, closer to where his body lay, and this time he managed a painful groan. And the half demon discovered him, and on his face was nothing but worry, he was not smug, he was just scared about the position he was in. They said they hated each other yes, but they would always be brothers.

The first thing Sesshoumaru noticed himself was that Kagome was not moving and she was barely breathing either. "It is O.K Sesshoumaru, she is just asleep, very deeply, I think she over exerted herself when she purified the demon holding her." He always had known exactly what he was thinking and reassured him. He managed to nod, he could still barely move, but feeling was slowly returning to his arms and legs, it was not much, but it was enough to stand up, and maybe it would be just enough to hobble back to his castle.

Seeing him struggle on his feet, Inuyasha hooked an arm around his brother under his arm and supported him, holding Kagome to him with the other hand. He was going to hoist him on his shoulder and carry him inside, but a snarl put an end to that, he had way too much pride to be carried inside like the wounded soldier he was. He was not however above accepting help and rested his weight on his brother's shoulders. Nobody should think themselves too high to accept help when you need it, when you get that far you arrogant and need to be defeated to be put in your place, and if not, then you are a Kami.

"Give her to me," he growled out, not looking at Inuyasha, but holding out his arms for her. His voice was still weak and as quiet ads that of a frightened child, but he wanted to hold her more than anything to reassure himself she was there and she was alright.

"Brother you can barely stand right now, let us get you inside first alright and then you can hold her once we've tended to you." What Inuyasha made sense, but he was not going to drop her, or fall himself, he just wanted her close.

"I wasn't giving you a choice. Do not disobey me, give me my pup!"

Inuyasha stared at him for a brief moment before looking down and wordlessly handing him to her, not letting go until he was certain he had a hold of her. Once Inuyasha withdrew he watched his Lord and older brother close his eyes and fall backwards, unconscious once more and a smile made its way onto his face, he had refused to fall while he was unsure of his pup's safety. He caught him before the two of them reached the ground and were hurt further. Hoisting the two of them into his arms so he was carrying his older brother bridal style, Kagome still asleep curled up against his chest and mokomoko to keep comfortable.

"Bring Akito san and the other wounded to the healers," he ordered as he swept passed them with their Lord and princess in their arms. As he walked passed them they stepped back and fell silent and Inuyasha tried his best not to wince. They were not just getting out of the way so he could get Sesshoumaru to the castle to be healed; they were getting out the way because they were frightened. Nobody would admit it because she was a child, but she had demonstrated that when threatened she was a powerful miko, because she had just purified a demon of a huge size, with a strength that was even greater.

Demons and mikos were opposites, he doubted she would be shunned but from now on he was sure there was going to be certain hostility between her and the others at the castle. He of course would not treat her any differently, and after today the only way Sesshoumaru would change would be more affectionate and protective. Akito was always a strange one, though it was clear he loved the girl almost as much as Sesshoumaru did because she had won his respect and fought back, and he was sure more transpired during those lessons than anybody knew, before her he had never seen anybody keen to spend time with the cold Akito at any rate.

He laid his brother on a bed in the healer's quarters and stroked Kagome's black hair. "You got to look out for her more than ever now bro," he said more to himself than Sesshoumaru who was unconscious and so could obviously not hear him. "Ryuukotsusei ain't dead, I never said he was, I defeated him, I didn't kill him, I should have, and I should have told you the truth too. He's after you Sesshoumaru, he is after you and he' after your kid. I would not be surprised if he was the one that ambushed you in the forest either, it is just the sort of cowardly move he would make."

He started to tend to his brother's injuries seeming as all the other healers were occupied and peeled the fabric away to reveal the injuries, if he had been conscious there was no way he would let a half breed tend to him, but he was unconscious. He was not going to take Kagome away from him either, even if he was currently unawares, she was the only one he really loved after all. None of the other healers was going to willingly go so near him with a powerful miko on his front.

"Hey, who are you?"

Inuyasha turned round and sure a young woman who looked to be an older version on Kagome standing there, they sure were similar. He did not like her tone of voice, but he saw no reason not to be cordial with her, "I am Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru's younger brother and general of his armies, and who might you be?"

"Kikyou, Kagome's sister."


	20. The question destined to come

**So Inuyasha says what Sesshoumaru was too polite to do so, his brash character would obviously have no problem with it. Sesshoumaru comes across a little dilemma in this one too. I have been getting reviews asking me when Kagome is getting older, as this is a romance. I shall say this, patience is a virtue, she will age, eventually, but I hate time skips and adore a child Kagome, so, they will be small jumps, but frequent from this chapter on.**

**Chapter 20 – The question destined to come**

"Kagome's sister huh?" Inuyasha asked, looking her over briefly before turning back to his patient and dressing the now stitched wounds, he was thoroughly unimpressed with her appearance. It was not that she was not anything to look at, but that was just the problem, she was far too revealed. "What do you do here?" He doubted his brother would demote his ward's sister to that of a concubine, even to himself, and she must own something better. If she was living here then there was no doubt she had been gifted with numerous kimonos and miko wear, for he could sense a faint aura of miko powers around her. Yet despite this, it seemed she chose to wear the skimpiest outfits she could find and modified them – why?

"I help Kagome to control her miko powers, seeming as she is so young she cannot handle them and needs a tutor to help her or she'll die." So she helped the princess, Sesshoumaru would pay no heed to the fact they were family but he allowed her in here and to do what she pleased because without her Kagome would die. He placed healing herbs on Sesshoumaru's dressed wounds to make it scab over faster and fed him a concoction to help him wake up faster. As for Kagome, she just needed rest, and when she woke up, probably counselling as well.

"O.K, here is another question for you, Kikyou, why are you dressed as a common whore?" He expected her to be angry, who would not be after such an insult. What he was not expecting was the hand that came out nowhere to strike him across the cheek. He was a Lord here, even if he was not _the _Lord, he was still one of high standing, no one dared do that to him. Kikyou was new yes, so he could... it took guts for someone to strike a powerful hanyou like that, for any reason. He felt a small smile crawl onto his face, she was indeed a lot like Kagome, even with the slap he noted that she did not feel fear or repulsion when facing him either.

"Look I know that is an insulting thing to say but look at you!" He exclaimed gesturing down at her body, "you are barely wearing anything at all!" Now he was finished with his brother he turned his attention to her and circled her. "You are an incredibly attractive woman Kikyou san and dressing like that, well, you are going to gain an awful lot of male attention, a lot of it that you don't want. Trust me when I say this, you are not safe dressing like, and do not, especially that when you have something more appropriate.

My army had just returned too, and they are women deprived. They see you walking down the halls dressed like that and they'll devour you, all of them, one after the other and I am sure you do not want that to happen to you. Go back to your room and get changed into something different, because right now you are in danger. I would not be surprised if Sesshoumaru has been keeping you close and a special eye on you to ward others off." He watched as she ran down the halls with tears of humiliation and hurt in her eyes, and he shook his head. He hated it when women cried and ran, but she needed to understand, and Sesshoumaru for all his short comings was a gentleman, he would never have been able to tell her like it was like he did.

6 weeks later

Sesshoumaru lifted his head when the door to his study opened and gave his ward a smile as she entered the room. She returned it and jumped onto his lap like a kitten, wrapping her little arms around his neck in greeting. Ever since the battle with the dragon he had been keeping an extra eye on her and they had grown closer than ever. This was a new routine of hers that had been around for three weeks now of coming to find him in the mornings when she woke up and giving him a hug to start the day.

He was usually not one for hugs, or any sort of contact like that really but he could live with it. What was really putting him in a good mood was the fact that she was starting to consider the Western Palace as her 'home'. He did not know how long she had considered it such, but a couple of weeks ago the two of them were in the Western lands, touring the border. It was something he had to do every month, tour the borders of his lands to make sure they were safe, and loathed to leave her side he had dragged her along.

On his own it usually only took one day, but with a child hanging onto his back for the duration it took three. It was the second night and the two of them were seated around a fire, Sesshoumaru was tucking into a dead animal while Kagome looked on disgusted a how he could eat something raw. She understood that he was a demon and all and so had a different diet, but it was still hard for her to even look at. Looking at him eat put her off meat altogether and she was quietly eating some fruit she had picked a while back herself.

Sesshoumaru realized his ward was awfully quite and seemed rather morose, so questioned her about it, not liking the melancholy atmosphere at all. She was his happiness and his light and if she was extinguished then he was going to be dark as well. "It is nothing really, I'm cold and bored and I want to go home." When she said that his heart broke, because he did not want her to be upset but he could not let her go either. "I am missing Akito and Sakura and Packo, I have not seen him for ages, and the gardens, but we'll be back tomorrow, so it is nothing."

Sesshoumaru let out the breath he had been holding and felt more joyful than he had in a long time. She meant the Western castle, it was a huge reassurance for him, she thought of the Western castle as her home. Finally she had settled in, he was her family, his staff were her friends and his house was her home, finally she was getting it. He enveloped her in a hug and told her they would e home soon, and he knew she did not understand why he was being so enthusiastic about his comfort, but he did not care, she did not need to know.

One problem he did have with this newfound fact was that Kikyou thought the same thing. She was not his pup; she was merely the sister and tutor of her. She was not meant to permanently stay, and he did not like sharing Kagome, not at all, not even with her blood family. He was pretty sure she was stealing her power during their lessons, because after them her miko aura was stronger and Kagome's was weaker, but he did not stop it for several reasons. The main reason was that it was working, Kagome was being saved, she was not going to die.

Secondly, no serious long term damage was being done to either girl, and that was a huge relief, he knew temporary relief meant nothing. Kagome's power always returned and Kikyou's power always lessoned, and Kagome was gaining more and more control every day, her sister could go back to where she belonged too. Thirdly he was giving Kikyou the benefit of the doubt; she may not know any other way to help. She may not be the purest person out there, but she cared for her sister, she must do, it went against their blood to seriously wish harm upon the other sibling.

He knew this well, better than most too, he had the same dilemma, and well it was more of a situation more than a problem really with Inuyasha. His father told them they would get along even if he swore he hated his younger sibling. He found he was unable to do so, and when he was but an infant crying Sesshoumaru always found himself by his bedside rocking him back to sleep or feeding him milk or food to settle him. When he got older he sparred with him and helped him in his studies and carried him back when he was tired, but he kept it all a secret.

He never openly showed his love for Inuyasha and he did the same but it was still there. Even now he swore that he hated him, quarrelled with him and called him an abomination. Then he felt so torn and angered when he was hurt, and if he was the one who hurt him he spent hours in his study bashing his head against the desk or the wall, cursing himself and apologising profusely as long as the kid could not hear him do so. That was why Inuyasha tried to beat him in battle and why he tended to him diligently when he was hurt six weeks ago.

Still, he wanted to limit the contact the two sisters had because the more time she spent with her, the less time Kagome could spend with him. What is more, he always found them in the garden speaking in hushed tones and it just sounded like the older girl was plotting something, and he tried to read into it differently but he could not read it as anything else. Whenever he got close to them as well they stopped and pretended to be playing a game of sorts, but when he pretended to leave and hid a little way off they started in that secretive manner again.

He tried to convince himself it was nothing but sisters being sisters, close siblings often talked like this. But he was a warrior and that was not going to change and when he witnessed something like that it was screamed something was going on and he could not ignore it. He wanted to know what they were saying, but tried to respect their privacy and not read too much into it. He was still certain though that very soon, his little Kagome was going to start saying and doing things she never has before, all because of that woman. He could not get it out of his mind, and the more he tried to forget it, the more convinced he became.

"Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked from where she was still seated on his lap, smiling up at him in that sweet way of his. She had _that _tone in her voice, everybody knows what _that _tone is, the ultra sweet one only a child can master and always use when they are about to ask you for something. "I was wondering if I could ask you a favour." She said it as if he could deny her anything, she had not asked for anything so far while being under his care, but then again he had made sure she would not want for anything, providing her with everything she could possibly need and want.

He smiled as he leant back and shifted her so she was in a more comfortable position in his lap. "Of course you can Kagome, what would you like?" He could provide her with every material thing she could even think of. He realized though that she took no great joy in being showered by jewellery and displayed no want for posh kimonos or yukatas and everything else she could want. Besides, he was paying attention to detail, she had not hinted at the fact that she wanted anything material; she never did, she wanted to ask him a favour.

"I was wondering if you would allow me to visit my village for a while," she said, a little nervous, looking down at the floor and his legs instead of his face. He stiffened at what she asked and she stiffened in response when she felt him tense beneath her. She was afraid she had angered him, and he did not like it that she would not look at his face because of it but he did not insist her to do so. He was angry, but only because he did not want her to leave, but he was not angr at her, he could not be, what she wanted was only natural.

He knew that she was not in the wrong here and he had no right to be angered at what she wanted at all. He should have allowed her to do this long ago; he was keeping her from her family and friends after all. She needed to see the ones who raised her, the ones who loved her and the ones she loved too, and denying her that was being too frickin selfish. He wanted to be selfish, that was true too, he wanted to keep her all to himself, but that was wrong, and if he was to be a good alpha and a good father then he had to put her first.

"Sesshoumaru, can you answer me please?" Kagome asked, waving a hand before his eyes and he suddenly noticed that he had been staring into space for a couple of minutes. He did not know what to say in answer, he knew that he should say yes, that he would take her tomorrow and that she could stay for as long as she wanted, as long as it was just a visit and she would return to where her home was not, which was with him. But although an alpha put members of their pack first he wanted to tend to what he wanted too, and he wanted with everything in his being to say no, NO, she was staying here, that village was a thing of the past.

Then he started to blame Kikyou, that she had put those thoughts into her head. During those evenings together she had been convincing her to ask him, convincing her to cajole him into letting them visit home. The older girl was more than welcome to go whenever she wished; Kagome was able to cope on her own now he would say, but he could not say a single thing, or even make a sound. He had been a fool to think this question was never going to come, this girl had given him a conscience and she was all that mattered in his tainted world and being now. so even though he wanted to say no so badly all he did was force a smile onto his face, lock eyes with her and nod, "Of course Kagome, when would you like to leave?"

So two days later she was standing by his side with her sister by her side carrying a couple of bags with their stuff in it. He was allowing them to go but there was a condition, he was coming with them and he was not going to leave her side for a moment. He let out a sigh as he conjured his youki cloud beneath their feet. "Hang onto me," he said, as if they needed to be told twice and he felt two pairs of hands grab onto his arm. He would reach the village in a few hours and then the torture would begin and last up to a year.


	21. what family means

**Did not really know what to call this chapter but, well I like Keade so I thought to bring her into it. I think Sesshoumaru and she would become good friends, they are similar in some ways, except one is evil and one is kind.**

**Enjoy and do not leave unreviewed. **

**Chapter 21 – What family means**

The first day in the village was... unexpected. He was more or less forgotten, his presence dismissed despite being a terrifying daiyoukai, Kagome and Kikyou were the ones of importance. He stayed on the outskirts of the village while the girls rushed forwards and just reclined in a tree while they greeted their friends and families. There were far too many tears from all sides for his liking too, ones he was the primary cause of, and they may not have been distress and more along the lines and joy and relief, he still felt more comfortable watching from a distance.

He stayed nearby and watched as they greeted their village. He simply observed as she ate a rather... inadequate meal of rice and broth. While in his care she had only been given the best, but she did not seem to even notice the change in diet. He also expected the village to be better off with the money he had supplied them with, obviously this was not so. Seeming as he owed the village a lot for simply having the girl Kagome whom he now loved, he added supplying the occupants a regular dosage of money to keep them relatively wealthy.

He watched as she sunk into a bed for the night, her bed, her old room. He was not unfamiliar with it; he had been in there himself and given her a kimono. He wanted to go in there and dance with her again like he had last time, but resisted, no, he would desist, for tonight at the very least, it was hardly the time for it. The room too he found to he found to be inadequate for such a heavenly being, it was small, almost cramped, there was barely enough room to move around in. There was a bed, a wardrobe, a table and small chair, bare essentials.

Or was this what it was like for all simple village folk? He reckoned so; they barely earned more than a single gold piece a month. They had enough to feed themselves and buy simple clothes, most never had the chance to buy such extravagant things that were normality for him. That was why Kagome was so awe struck while in his home, every aspect of it, from her room to the gardens that she barely had here had her shaking her head in wonder. And that was why she was in her comfort zone surrounded by... nothing; this was what life had been like for her.

He saw no need to hide his aura throughout the day; the ones with holy energy, Kagome and Kikyou knew he was there anyway. He planned to show himself in a few days once she was settled in, but he did not need to presently, all he needed to do was stay and keep watch. Trouble and danger it seemed followed his little ward wherever she went so it was imperative he was always nearby. After the last crisis with the dragon sent by Ryuukotsusei, he did not want to leave her alone for any amount of time again, let alone over a month, or however long she wished to spend here.

He knew from past experience that it was always best to be on your guard and ready to investigate, encounter and deal with a dilemma rather than just discover it's after effects. All seemed calm for now though, a trait he and his brother hared was relaxing in trees, and it was more comfortable than most people thought. He allowed his consciousness to slip to a state of semi awareness once he was assured his pup was asleep and reclined further in the branches.

He never liked to be fully asleep when he was not in comfort of his own home and that was why he noticed when he was approached. He had not expected anyone to know of his presence as of yet, and certainly was not expecting to be approached, yet he was. He did not stir, he saw no need to as of yet, and although it was a rather alien feeling, he could not be _bothered. _Also thinking that maybe their close proximity was coincidence he ignored the presence, until he realized the one who had approached him was the old miko of the village.

Kagome had spoken of her, how she had been like another mother to her, tutored her, the only one who knew of her miko powers. Over the weeks Kagome had talked of her, practically singing her praises Sesshoumaru had listened, he had had no choice but to do so and would admit he had gained a form of respect for her. As he listened to the praises of the old miko with renewed interest, even though at the time he had thought he would never see her again, he had bothered to learn her name – Keade, but she deserved respect, Lady Keade then.

"Sesshoumaru sama," she called up to him in the branches from where she was on the ground. He had forgotten about the old miko until he saw her, too preoccupied with Kagome to care. She was a miko, which meant she had sensed his presence, probably as soon as he arrived. Yet she had not alerted anyone to his presence, not even the ones who already knew, she had kept it all to herself. He thought about the reasons for it and came to the conclusion that she was respecting his wishes to remain undetected.

She had noticed he was 'hiding' in a manner of speaking, though he disliked the implications of that word. It was not as if he had anything or anyone to hide from, all the same she respected that he wished to remain concealed. She had waited until Kagome had fallen asleep too, until almost the entire village had fallen asleep to confront him. He allowed himself to wonder what it was she wanted, she was too smart as to enquire why he was there, so coming up blank and deciding it was probably worth listening to he gave her his attention.

In one fluid motion he jumped from where he was currently lying to land directly in front of her. "You have requested my attention," he stated, giving her permission to continue. Truthfully he was interested in what she wanted, she knew he meant her no harm so she could not want to know how she was faring or if he was taking good care of her, or if he truly loved her or anything of that sort. She knew she was happy, she had seen the smile on her little face herself and it did not take a genius to know why he was here, it was obvious he was there to look after her.

"I know you being who and what you are your body is impervious to most human maladies such as colds that can be acquired from sleeping outside in the cold. Yet I am sure sleeping in a tree cannot be comfortable and sleep will evade you especially seeming as it is going to rain later tonight." She spoke steadily and calmly and when she stopped it became clear it was his turn to answer, not that she had asked a question. Sesshoumaru arched an eye brow, he was sure she was getting at something her but he was not entirely sure what she wanted.

He had never been stuck at how to reply to something before, it was strange indeed she and the young girl were not related seeming as they were the only ones who had ever made it so he was presented with the problem before. She had been rather vague with her words and despite the long, voiced observation she did not get anything across to him. It was either that or he was being extra ordinarily dense, and he point blank refused to believe that was the case. Again he noticed a similarity between the two women; they had a tendency to use twice as many words to say half as much, usually failing to get to the point.

He decided to reply with something just as vague. "Sleeping in a tree is not as uncomfortable as it seems old one, I have done it many times before and I am sure I shall do so again." He often had to make do with the bed nature supplied him when touring the land, or patrolling his borders, especially now he was likely to have Kagome with him when he did so, meaning the duty took longer than usual. He had no aversion to it, and would not mind having a night or two that was even rougher but like any other living being, he would admit that nothing compared to a bed or a futon and shelter, with the warmth and security and comfort such things offered.

"This I am sure of," the old lady replied, "but I am sure nothing compares to a futon. Seeming as you are a guest here, and have brought dear Kagome back to us for a visit I presume I would like to offer you shelter for the night. I have a spare futon and have saved some broth from this evening's meal too, allow me to offer you a place for the night." Sesshoumaru was struck into silence; he noticed another similarity between the two, utter selflessness. She had saved some food for him, meaning she had intended to do this from the moment he entered the village. She had stayed up and waited until the rest of the village slept to tell him that.

"Come on Sesshoumaru sama, I know I am but an old human lady to you, but surely you are not too prideful to accept an act of kindness freely given." It was then he noticed that he had not given her an answer, he had just stared at her with his mask of indifference, he was well aware this was easily interpreted as a decline. In truth he just did not know how to answer, she was just like Kagome, selfless, too kind for her own good. She should hate him, he was sure the rest of the village did and for good reasons too.

She loved Kagome like a daughter and he had ripped them apart, and here he was, he had returned and all she could think to ask was offer him a bed for the night. He allowed a small smile onto his face as he looked at her, it had crossed his mind while he was up in the tree that she had approached him to have a rant, but he had dismissed it for her being too smart. His respect for her grew, they were going to visit the village again, Kagome needed to spend more time with his woman, she was worth it, and he too would not mind meeting with her again. He found her interesting for he had broken her heart taking Kagome in the manner he had, he could see it in her face, and yet all she cared about was his comfort.

"I will graciously accept your offer miko," he said. She smiled as she turned around and headed back to her hut, leaving him to follow.

"And please call me Keade," she threw over her shoulder as they walked through the silent village. "I understand we barely know each other and appreciate you deserve to be addressed with the respect your title calls for, but you are now the father of the girl I cared for as a daughter, I would like for us to be informal." She sounded hopeful.

"Keade it is," he agreed, knowing her words made perfect sense, her reasoning was true. She did deserve his friendship and respect, she had raised Kagome after all, though had failed to realize she was dying because of her won miko energies. Sesshoumaru surmised that Kagome would not be half the person she was today without the old miko. "Your reasoning makes sense, you may call me simply Sesshoumaru, privately and publicly if you so desire."

He earned himself another smile and he found himself readily returning it. He wondered whether this was because of the old miko and her behaviour and act of kindness and bravery for approaching him, or whether it was he who had changed. Like Akito had become a nicer companion for anybody, he was aware the cheerful little girl had changed him too. He knew of the nickname other Lords had given him, 'icicle', and his mask still refused to slip. He did not want it to slip and end up losing the respect of the other Lords, he did not want them thinking they could get away with anything and give themselves liberties. If they did there was a very real possibility he'd end up with a new, more demeaning nickname such as, he shuddered, 'fluffy'.

He decided he liked her smile, just like he liked Kagome's smile, another similarity. He also decided she was a very able cook, he supposed she had to be as a miko, being a healer he was sure she brewed up concoctions a lot more difficult than a simple broth and had to get the quantities perfect. He had no idea whether or not Kagome could cook or not though he was sure she was able to. But the fist and last time he had caught her in the kitchens being lectured he had made it clear to her she was not to go in there again, but maybe she wanted to, maybe she liked cooking, maybe he would question Keade about it.

"If you do not mind me asking, Keade, are you and Kagome related in any way?" He did not know why the question came to his lips, but they were so alike in many ways, he had to know, to make absolutely certain, even though his nose had never betrayed him before and he could tell their scents were far too distinct from one another.

"By blood? No we are not related. Yet I think of her as my own daughter and have certainly raised her as such," she said, taking large gulps of broth in between her words. "We spent a lot of time with one another before you took her," for the first time he detected a hint of bitterness in her tone. "I taught her all I knew and she changed me for the better, I started to smile more and trusted people more openly, giving my heart to others. She in turn matured fast, learnt to heal, grew measured and less wild and unpredictable, and became a miko. There were more personal changes as well; she started to talk like me, walk like me, and act like me. I say we are related, blood means nothing, family is a broad term in my mind, and if you love one like a daughter, she is your daughter."

She poured out some tea for herself and then offered in to him, he accepted for it would be rude not to, even though he was not a wild tea drinker, he had it, but preferred sake. It was the best tea brew he had ever tasted, she was indeed a good cook even in this sense for he was sure she had made it herself and very soon he was working his way through his third cup. "Maybe you will find that... I guess she is your daughter now, will start to talk and acts like you in time," she mentioned, a rather more noticeable smile on her face now, making him wonder what she was up to. "If she does then I feel sincerely sympathetic for her."

It took him a while to fully digest what it was she had said. When it got through he was stunned again, she had don another thing that before he had only encountered from Kagome. She had given him cheek, joked with him using cheek. "I would feel sorry for her too," he agreed, faintly aware that unlike her he was being serious. The mere thought of that ultra pure little girl going on killing sprees and eating raw meat churned his stomach, and he ate entrails. There was a moment's silence and then they both laughed like old friends.

"It is true what you say about family, I certainly could not think of her as anything less, as soon as she healed me she became pack. I am not sure whether I have changed her in any way, but she has certainly impacted me, I am different."

"Of course you have changed, that much is easy to tell and I barely know who you are. Could you honestly say that before you met Kagome you could picture yourself having tea and broth with a poor old woman like me?" It was meant as a jest like her earlier words, but he seriously considered the question and the answer was as expected, no, of course he could not. Neither could he imagine himself smiling at all, or caring about humans. He could not imagine himself noticing the poor state of the village and feeling a twinge of guilt when comparing it to his own cushy lifestyle. He could not imagine any human earning any of his respect.

"Before Kagome I could never even imagine a heavenly being such as Kagome. She has impacted my life so much I am changed; I like to think for the better. I love her, I like to think as family and I cannot imagine life without her, I can't let her go."

"If that is the case I suggest you earn the respect and affection of her blood family, and then you may be welcomed into her pack, you welcoming her into your pack is not good enough. Money will not do it Sesshoumaru; she is not something to be bought, though I understand you may not have known another way to do things at the time. You understand now though, you have as you admitted, changed, you know what I say is true."

He simply nodded his understanding – that was all he needed to do.

"Then come," she said, ushering him to bed like he was a pup, strangely he did not mind. "You will need rest, it will be a long day tomorrow."

"And a lot of long, trying days after that," he muttered.

He could only imagine how true that was.


	22. Daiyoukai do not apologise

**Sorry for the wait, it was longer than usual, please enjoy! Do not forget to review! I need to know what people think so you enjoy the fic!**

**A huge thank you to ShadowNala for beta-ing this for me! there will be a longer wait for the next chapter as I am having trouble writing a battle scene, you will prefer a longer wait than my first attempt at it, trust me on that.**

**Chapter 22 – Daiyoukai do not apologise**

One thing Sesshoumaru learnt rather quickly was that Kagome was popular, and gained an awful lot of attention... male attention. Another thing he quickly learnt was that he detested this showboating very much. Understandably his fur was ruffled by the mere thought of any boy going anywhere near her. According him she was not old enough to have any sort of contact with a boy that was not purely platonic, which meant all males but Souta and her grandfather should stay away.

He did not notice he was openly growling at the village boys until the old miko of the village distracted him. Keade, the only one brave enough to approach him with a smile and trust, was the one who placated him, interrupting him with cups of her delicious brews of tea. He was very well  
>aware that she knew she was distracting him and he was grateful for it. He loved his pup dearly and it was clear she was very fond of the boy who practically hung off of her every minute of the day, and he was quite sure that ripping the human pup's head from his shoulders would not have been a<br>great way to win her favour.

What really riled him was that human boy who wished to gain her favour was a slayer. It was needless to say that Daiyoukai and slayers, even a child slayer like him were not going to get along smoothly, he was born with the sole purpose to kill demons after all. Yet, as much as he detested him at first sight he found himself unable to not accept him should his ward decide that she wanted to mate the boy later when they were ready. After all, mikos and Daiyoukai were meant to hate each other too, yet he had taken one in as his pup and they got along with each other very well with surprising swiftness.

The other boy who liked her was a normal human a couple of years older than her by the name of Hojo. It took one look for him to come to the conclusion that he was not good enough for his pup, but then again he was ready to say that to any approaching male. While this Kohaku was a more suitable suitor, he still did not like the idea of his pup spending the rest of her life with him. While he thought about it, he was none too fond of the idea of himself spending more than standard length of time in his presence either, let alone several decades. Yet he would have to do so if he became his son in law, or so humans called it.

What made him snap was when Kohaku grabbed her arm and pulled her to his body. She laughed when he did it, thinking it some sort of game. He was watching the whole scene from the roof of the old miko's hut, after the first night he enjoyed himself she invited him back again, and now it had been almost a fortnight and he kept returning there. He knew what was about to happen, or what the boy was going to attempt the moment it started, it was also obvious that Kagome was innocent and had no idea what was about to be tried, the third thing Sesshoumaru knew, was that no way was this going to happen.

He watched as the boy slowly lowered his mouth, getting closer and closer to hers and he sprung into action. In one move he was behind the two of them and with a snarl and a growl he wrapped his arm around Kagome's waist and yanked her out of the boy's grip and into his arms. With his other arm he sent the boy flying into the nearest tree where he landed rubbing his head, a dazed  
>expression on his face, eyes rolling.<p>

Needless to say Kagome had not been best pleased, even if she had known what Kohaku was doing and did not particularly want it to happen, as she was still far too young, Kohaku was still her friend. Sesshoumaru admitted that maybe, just maybe he had slightly overreacted, it was not as if the pup was about to ravish the girl. He did not even know how much Kagome liked the slayer boy, perhaps he was a suitor, perhaps she wanted to mate him one day, and maybe she was a lot more grown up than he previously thought – perhaps she wanted him to kiss her. But even if this was the case, he was protective over her.

Now here he was, once more seated in Keade's hut, once more he was drinking a cup of her tea, once more being placated by her, and once more growing calmer with each sip. "I refuse to apologise to the boy," he stated catching a reprimanding glare from her which he read as her telling him he was in the wrong. He knew well he was in the wrong, but so was Kohaku, his wrong just happened to be more wrong, an overreaction. But he could not help it, he loved Kagome, and although he did not understand why, he did not want males sniffing around her, but it was the same with all fathers he was sure.

"The boy is not the one you need to apologise to. While he is hurt I am sorry to say he expected nothing less, but it was but a minor injury, he has suffered far worse in his training. Kagome is the one who needs to hear your apology; you sabotaged her trust in you by hurting one she holds dear. You should go and tell her you are sorry and admit you are the one in the wrong." He started to lose interest in her, Sesshoumaru did not say sorry; he was never in the wrong that badly. His actions may have been larger than needed, but they were justified. All he had to do was talk to Kagome and make sure that she understood this.

Even with his nose to help him it took several minutes to find her, she was a little ways off into the woods, knelt down by a tree. She was huddled up into a ball; knees pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them, and chin resting on top of them. Inushasta's head was poking out of the side; somehow even with her in this tiny form she had managed to wrap herself around him. It seemed that stuffed toy offered so much comfort, she always clutched him when she went to sleep, but when she was busy, say during lessons, she never had him, but now she was upset and probably confused she went to the dog again.

He knew she had friends; maybe she just needed someone to hold, or someone to hold her, and not say a word. Usually he would insist that the one she should run to was him, but seeming as he was the one who had upset her, wrapping his arms around her was not the best idea. It pained him to see her like that and know he was the culprit, but a meaningless word of 'sorry' was not going to cut it, she was too wise and see right through him. He was sorry, that much was genuine, but he was sorry she was hurt, not sorry for what he had done.

"Kagome!" He called, making her lift her head up and stare into his amber eyes, she was scanning him he realized, looking for signs if remorse in the icy emotionless mask he always wore. He did not know whether she found what she wanted but he saw no signs of disappointment or relief. She did not say anything, neither did she smile, and that was bad sign, she always greeted him  
>with a smile, ever since she had settled in. In fact she had been cheery and optimistic even before that, even when they first met, and he had insulted her badly the way he had, the memory of it still made him wince, the next day she was smiling again. <p>

Had his actions really wounded her this much? Did she care for the boy so much that such a small injury would hurt her so? Or maybe it was not the injury, but more what it represented, it was the fact he had hurt someone close to her at all. "You should not wander off into the woods all alone Kagome, it is dangerous." Surely she knew this better than anyone, the last time she had done it she came across a wounded daiyoukai who promptly hurt her feelings very badly. It decided her fate too; he had kidnapped her some days afterwards.

She still did not answer him and he heaved a sigh, he jerked his head in her direction to signal for her to follow him, and started walking off into the woods. "Walk with me," he ordered more than requested, and he could tell she wanted to be left alone, but head bent low, and Inushasta gripped tightly to her chest she walked by his side. They carried on for about a mile, the entire journey spent in companionable silence. Honestly he did not know why he went into the woods, they had enough privacy where they were before, he guessed he just wanted her on her feet and no that pathetic position.

While they walked he found he was heading to the place where she first found him, it was unconscious, and she did not realize where they were either. He heaved a sigh, it was time to talk things out with his pup, and gather up the courage, and beat down the pride in order to say he was sorry and gain her trust and affection once more. After a few moments of silence, Kagome was the one to break it, "If you are going to say sorry, get on with it," she told him, completely stunning him speechless, "and I will forgive you."

"I am sorry I hurt you," he said, feeling genuinely guilty about doing so as well, and she sensed that in his words and tone, the morose expression leaving her face. And then she seemed to darken again as she asked her next question.

"And what about Kohaku?"

Sesshoumaru suppressed the urge to say 'what about him?' He knew precisely what she meant. She wanted him to apologise for what he did to hurt Kohaku too, Kami he felt like a child in disgrace, at this rate she was going to make him go and apologise to him personally. He knew this was important in order to gain her favour again, but could he really lie to her face and get away with it? He sure doubted it, she was too clever to be fooled she would see right through him. But he could not stay silent, the question was then – what was he to say? "I admit that I overreacted," he settled for.

Kagome was not pleased by the lack of response and told him so, "That was not an apology," she stated, and Sesshoumaru knew exactly what the subtext of that was. 'That is not going to cut it, try again.' But he could not give her an empty apology, Daiyoukai after all never lie, they never need to, and he was not going to use deception of any sort on his own pup to gain her favour again. He thought about what else he could say, but he came up blank, obviously nothing but reasoning with her and possibly resorting to pleading his case was going to do. Other than that, time was the only healer – but she held onto things for a while.

"You do realize he was going to kiss you don't you," he hoped he did not have to say more than that. He was no sure whether she knew this or not, if she didn't, this was probably all she needed to say and she could assume and understand the reasons for the rest. If she did know, perhaps even wanted it to happen, that is where things get more complicated. Just thinking about the possibility of the latter ruffled his fur, figuratively speaking, she was far too young for that sort of thing, and he did not want any males around his daughter.

"So?" Her one word response cut him deeply – she did want it. He grew a little angry but tried to keep it out of his voice; he seldom raised it after all. And doing so while she was hurt and angry at him was not the best idea.

"One kiss may not seem like very much, whether it is on the cheek, the forehead or the lips. But boys are full of hormones and very soon he will want much more than that. You are but 10 years old, you should not be engaging in anything of a sexual nature until you are at least 14 years old, if it were up  
>to me it would not be until you are 20, so fully gown and able to take care of yourself and any children you might have in the future."<p>

"Kohaku would not do that to me we have been good friends since forever."

Sesshoumaru decided it was not the best time to point out the grammatical error in her speech. "But do you love him, would you want him as a suitor one day?"

"I don't really know, I guess not at that stage yet, but he is nice and I really like him, so, in a few years, maybe yes, one day."

He bit down a growl at her response, she was meant to say no, or blush and look away, and either of those reactions would have been fine for him. But her giving the affirmative angered him and he just wanted to harm the boy even more so he would never be able to have her. He was aware he was still overreacting, but he was an Inu, they were protective, but she was a human, and so was the boy she liked, he walked off a few paces from her, growling, trying to clear his head. He had to calm down or she would never forgive him.

Suddenly the area he was in struck a chord within him, he recognized the area as the place he had passed out, and the area Kagome had healed him in, this was where she had saved his life. But he found something more, a familiar scent, something that screamed danger. It took him a while to place it but eventually he put it down as Ryuukotsusei. That damn dragon had been the one to ambush him after all. The scent was fresh which meant he had passed by here not long ago, he was nearby, and he was big and moved slowly, that meant he could not be far off.

His face paled as he realized what that meant. Kagome saw this and asked him what was wrong, not seeming to actually care as she was still angry with him, but curious as to what frightened the demon lord. Although she was unaware of it, her safety was the only thing that truly scared him, in the time they had spent together he had learnt she was a magnet for trouble. She did not recognize the area, it just looked like any other part of the forest to her, and obviously she could not smell what he did, and even if she could she would not be able to place it.

Suddenly he heard what very much sounded like a ringing bell. But who would be ringing a bell so loudly he could hear it from where they were, and why? "What is that?" He asked, not asking Kagome but more himself. Then he heard voices too, voices from people in the village, they were being loud but he could not quite make out what they were saying because they were all shouting at once and seemed to be panicking. Kagome's face however, paled considerably, she knew what the bell meant. It meant the same thing it always did when the villagers weren't too panicked to remember to use it on sight.

She did not need to be able to hear what the voices were shouting, for even her with her lesser hearing could hear them scream. In a quiet place such as the forest where usually the only noise is the wind blowing through the trees, sound carries a long way. She remembered the panicked tone from the last time it happened, with Sesshoumaru. After a little while he seemed to remember too  
>and his face paled in response.<p>

Faster than lightning he wrapped an arm around her waist and jumped. He leapt from tree branch to tree branch, covering the couple of miles they had ended up walking, getting back to the village in a matter of seconds. The tolling of the bell was an awful lot louder now he was so close and the screaming voiced as awful lot clearer. He did not need to see the object of their fear know exactly what was happening, it was clear as soon as he scented that familiar smell.

"DEMON! DEMON! HELP!" They cried, "THERE IS A DEMON IN THE VILLAGE!" 


	23. something to protect

**Chapter 23 – Something to protect**

If he was going to be honest, Kohaku was impressed with how quickly the village pulled themselves together over the appearance of the demon. There were a few moments of panic when they ran about waving their hands in the air shouting 'demon' at the top of their voices; fortunately it did not last long. He did not know why they even had a bell to ring with the noise they made, but he was the one who took the initiative and went to ring it. With any luck Sango would hear it and her and other slayers would come to their aid.

Kohaku had started visiting the village containing the girl he had a crush on more often now, hoping he was there when she returned and his efforts had paid off. This was not the first time a demon had come, he was more prepared now after the incident with the Daiyoukai and was going to make certain not to fail a second time. He was not yet eleven so officially not a slayer yet, but he was the only one with special training in the village so he had to be on the first rank of men facing it. He was a protector now, and protect he would.

Facing the huge dragon he tried not to feel afraid. This demon was massive, the biggest he had ever seen, easily several stories high. He knew size was not everything, indeed he had seen his people fight centipede demons that only took a couple of hits to bring down, and he was sure he could defeat them by himself. Size sure helped though, the demon was big and he in comparison was very small, he could get stepped on, or someone else could and that would be the end of them, not everyone was agile enough to leap out the way.

He gulped down the fear rising in his throat and steeled his expression; he was going make sure they won this. They had formed ranks like last time, but there were not as many, Sango and Miroku and the others were not there. This meant that even women were fighting; there were almost no people left over for the sole purpose of being protected. Even the hopeless were fighting, boys like Hojo, he looked weird holding a weapon, and it was obvious he barely knew what it was, but they were going to fight shoulder to shoulder anyway, to survive.

He could feel the aura of the demon pressing down on him even though he was no one with holy energies. This was a powerful demon, and it was evil, even more so than the daiyoukai they had faced months ago. This one was different to Sesshoumaru, perhaps not so much in power, but in mind, this was one was feral; it was not here to talk. It wanted to kill, he could feel it, not for food or any other practical reason, it just wanted to kill to make a scene. He gulped, very well aware there was a strong possibility they would not win, but they had to try damn it, they had to try. He was in the front lines as well, he could die, he might not ever see Sango again, or his father, or Kagome. He grit his teeth and steeled his expression again, he was alive right now wasn't he?

The demon noticed him and singled him out from the others facing him and glared down at him with a snort of laughter. "I could end this village with a single blast of power," he laughed at him, "you puny humans do not stand a chance." This Kohaku did not doubt, but it was not as if he was about to turn around and agree. That is what you do when you are a protector, you kill the antagonist, or you die trying. He had been born not fearing death, after all it was a natural part of life, it came to all, to some sooner than others, ad to some sooner than they would have liked, but it happens all the same. Thinking about it in more depth perhaps it would be vest for him to die young protecting those he loved than live the life of a failure and coward for a further 60 years.

"You can give it a try, that's for sure!" Kohaku shouted up at him, sounding a lot more confident than he felt. He was shaking in actuality, and he wanted his sister to come and help him like she always did, but he was well aware the next village was a good while away. It would take close to 30 minutes for all the demon slayers to grab their weapons and make their way here, and he could very well be dead by then. He wondered if there was a way to stall the demon other than initiating full out war because he already knew that would get them nowhere, and give them nothing but death, things were not looking good for them.

"You are brave little warrior, or you are just a fool. You are not an idiot, little slayer, you know there is no way you can defeat me." He had seen right through the bravery act, not that he had expected the demon to be shaken by him at all. It was unlike this demon to be talking at all though; he reckoned it was here for something in particular; perhaps he could stall it after all. He glared back at the huge dragon, only 28 minutes to go.

"What is it you want from this village, demon?" he tried to keep the venom in his voice whilst keeping his level of fear under control.

"A smart little warrior aren't you?"

"It seems illogical to me that you would have simply senseless killing on your mind."

"You are correct little warrior, I have indeed come for something. It seems you harbour a little miko, hand her over and I shall leave this village in peace." Somehow Kohaku doubted this; the aura surrounding the dragon was too evil. Hang on... he had he just said...

If he had not had years of training to keep his cool in battle, then his jaw would have dropped. Just how many powerful demons out there wanted little Kagome? She was hardly that much of a threat, though Sesshoumaru had not wished her any harm. Somehow though, he doubted this great big dragon wanted to adopt her. Even if it did not wish to kill her it certainly did not wish her well, and like hell was he going to let it hurt her. Even if he died he had to protect her and everyone else he could, it was an honourable death and he would be remembered for it, if he told himself this enough times he might start to believe it himself.

"I will never allow the likes of you anywhere near Kagome," he growled menacingly, he tensed his body and prepared to go on the offensive. Well, so much for stalling, it seemed a battle was upon the after all. Then his mind flicked to Sesshoumaru, surely he would not let it hurt or take her. Shouldn't he be here by now, or perhaps he had fled, perhaps this demon was too powerful for him and he had taken Kagome and fled. Well, if that had happened then at least she would be safe, one person from this village would survive. "There is no way I am handing her over, you want her then you have to go through me."

"Very well little warrior, that can certainly be arranged." It happened in the blink of an eye, one moment he was standing there facing the demon and the next he was being held in the tight grip of the dragon. The pain of being slowly crushed drowned out the fear; at least he was going to die  
>courageously. He wanted to die at the hands of a demon, after all, what sort of slayer died a fool's death, they even loathed to die of illness or of old age. He had hoped though that he would live to be an adult, or at least 11. He was never going to kiss a girl, or grow up and have a family, the pain escalated so he almost passed out. He knew the demon could kill him like this in an instant, but instead it was deciding to torture him.<p>

"Go on you little warrior," the demon hissed with sadistic amusement, "Why don't you cry out?" But he would never do that, even if the demon tortured him for an hour, making his death last, he would never give in. The men notched arrows in their bows to fire at him and that was when Kohaku knew the demon was not going to hesitate anymore. He waited for the final crush to come but what actually came was a howl of pain from the demon holding him. A gash appeared in the hand holding him seemingly out of nowhere, and Kohaku saw the skin bubbling like acid had been poured into the open wound, and in response, he was dropped.

He bit his tongue as he fell the few stories down to the ground to keep him from crying out. If he could stay silent whilst he was being crushed then he could stay silent when falling to the ground. Yet once again the death he was unprepared for never came to him. Arms encircled his body and drew him into a chest, holding him safe. The person who had caught him absorbed the impact leaving him unharmed and he was set carefully down on the ground. When he looked up he found the one who had caught him had been none other than the demon lord who loathed him, "Sesshoumaru," he breathed in astonishment. The demon Lord did not look back at him but focused on the dragon in front of him.

"Keep Kagome safe," he muttered before striding towards the attacking demon.

He nodded, "with my life," he replied, he never knew whether or not the Daiyoukai heard him.

"RYUUKOTSUSEI!" He roared up at the demon, still clutching onto its injured appendage. "I should have guessed a coward like you would prey on an innocent village. Today will be you your last, no ningen shall die today, and the miko is _mine, _not a possession for you to acquire." And to think he actually respected him at some point; it made him sick to think about it. No matter, the nonsense will end right here, today.

The dragon wasted no time or energy on words and lashed out at him with his huge tail. He was not quite fast enough to get out the way and he was sent flying through the sky, only to turn around in the air and land on his feet. He charged at the dragon on his own offence, sword undrawn, this demon was attacking his pup's village, therefore a village under his personal care; he would be the one to kill the attacker. His claws glowed green as he charged at him, just hoping they would be enough to penetrate the youkai's thick scaly hide.

Sesshoumaru never found this out for his unable to get that close; the humungous tail came at him again. He noted Ryuukotsusei had gotten stronger and faster, more skilled, he knew he had needed more to defeat him. Ambushing him had not worked and there had been hundreds of minions at that time, all on his own, he needed a lot more to fell the dog. This time he had been anticipating the attack and he simply jumped over it. An ear splitting crash followed the attack and he winced, a hut had been destroyed, chaos had begun to reign supreme.

The next few minutes was a clamour of noise, all that could be heard was the cracking of woods and straw as huts were destroyed one by one. All wildlife had fled, including most of the ningen in the village, some had decided to stay, and some were elderly or sick and unable to move, a few of the stronger men stayed by those huts to protect them. Ryuukotsusei growled often and threw cutting remarks, and Sesshoumaru snarled in response, adding to the din. For all the racket though, neither of the two were dealing or receiving any major blows. They were trying to kill each other of course but with the battle in its early stages there were no wild hits.

The first major blow of the battle came to Sesshoumaru from an energy blast to the chest. He had tried to leap out the way of course, years of training had kept him agile and he knew it was better to dodge a strike than to take it. However, Ryuukotsusei was a lot better than he remembered and was not going to stand for being cheated that blow; that tail had come out of nowhere and knocked him back into the line of fire. Seeming as he was hit square in the chest it did more damage, but although the skin was burnt, the armour had protected him, though it was now shattered. It angered him though, because the shot had been true, it had not been a cheap hit. Ryuukotsusei had just gotten the better of him, but it was not happening again, no way was the cowardly weakling going to win, he was simply not going to allow it to happen.

He had a ward to protect, no, a whole village to protect and damn it he was going to protect them, with his god damn life if he had to. Even if it killed him, the dragon was going to die with him, he could not allow it to rampage his lands, or anyone's lands any longer. It had to die, at all costs, and then Kagome would be safe, the village would be safe, and someone would run his land, probably Inuyasha. Everyone with even some battle sense knew that when you were fighting to protect, you fought to the death. The battle was serious now, the warm up had ended, it was time for someone who was not afraid to use all means necessary to win was called into action. Sesshoumaru snarled and his eyes bled red.

Kagome watched from the safety of Kohaku's arms as her guardian transformed before her very eyes. It only took a couple of seconds; there was an overwhelming burst of youki and a flash of white light which engulfed him. A few second later a massive dog was standing in his place, magenta stripes on his cheeks, and a blue crescent moon on his forehead. The massive dog was easily 4 stories high, just as big, if not bigger than the dragon he faced. Green moisture seeped from his claws and where his drool dripped to the ground, the acidic liquid ate through the grass, soil or rock in its path – he was terrifying.

Kagome could honestly say that she had never been truly scared of Sesshoumaru. She had been frightened for him when she first met him, thinking him dead, and the surprise had certainly shaken her. When he insulted her later after waking up she had been hurt and confused and it had made her blindly run away, but she had not been frightened. Now looking upon him in that true form, animalistic, primal and unaware she was scared, and those crimson eyes held no emotion as he glared at the opponent. She realized in that moment he had been hiding his true form from her, not wishing her to see, perhaps for this precise reason. Yes it was frightening, but in a way it was also beautiful, magnificent even, but deadly.

Then suddenly he turned to her as a massive dog and for a second, even less than that emotion flickered over his crimson eyes. She could not quite place exactly what it was for there was a mixture of many things, worry, determination, anger and hate, though things were not directed at her. One thing in those eyes was though – and that was recognition. It was then she knew that he was not a rabid beast after all and her Sesshoumaru was in there somewhere. He was going to fight for her she just knew it, and he was going to fight to the death for her safety and that of the village. He was noble Daiyoukai and she owed him much.

"Arigatou, Sesshoumaru," she muttered, knowing with his demon ears that he could hear her. "I forgive you," she continued, "thank you." The demon gave no sign that he heard her other than what might have been a nod and what was definitely a wink. Then he barked, and neither Kagome nor Kohaku needed to know Inu language to understand what that meant. They were to go, run into the woods and the safety of the trees, most of the villagers had already done so. Kagome nodded, she did not like to run away from any sort of battle, ever, especially when it concerned her, and if Sesshoumaru was fighting it definitely concerned her. But in this instance she had to, her alpha ordered her to, and so grabbing Kohaku's hand they turned and ran.

Sesshoumaru turned his full attention back to the battle; just in time it seemed for a powerful tail to lash his side. It was the most powerful hit so far, and turning to see his miko to safety had distracted him so he was unable to avoid it. Being in this larger form meant there was more for the dragon to hit, but he was 100 times more powerful. He was knocked off his feet and he knew a rib had been cracked by the mere force of the blow. An advantage of being in this form was his high pain tolerance, he would not allow the bone to hinder him, and he would only stop fighting once the dragon was slain at his feet as dying himself was obviously not an option.

He darted back to the centre of the village to draw the dragon away from the woods and like a fool he followed. They exchanged blows in an almost choreographed fashion, as if the battle was but a game they were playing. Trouble was, try as he might, Sesshoumaru found himself unable to put anymore strength behind his blows, though he knew he was not this weak. He dodged an energy blast and looked behind him out of curiosity to see where it would land. His breath hitched in his throat to see the body of Keade in the direct line of fire, so she had chosen not to run.

In one bound he was before her, he picked her up in his mouth and put her down several hundred paces away. This gave Ryuukotsusei time to recover and gain his bearings from the barrage of attack that Sesshoumaru had recently delivered. Rage bubbled within him, the crafty bastard the old miko had been his target all along, he was still using cowardly tactics to get to him. He felt more strength coming to his muscles as the rage and the hatred built up inside him. Yes, this is what he had been missing, the motivation to kill, he had not felt that rage and hate urging him to kill. Maybe it was because he had spent too much time around a pure miko who detested violence, but finally he wanted to feel blood on his claws, taste it trickling down his throat, have the motionless form lying deceased in front of him.

He needed to feel those things, and he needed to feel them now. Not only did he need to kill him, but he wanted to, he had started to feel the thrill of it again. Yes, these feelings fuelled him as did those desires, this was what he had been missing; well nobody else under his protection was going to get hurt. More angered than before he lunged at Ryuukotsusei, snarling, acidic drool burning everything in his path. He shot forward with all the speed he could muster he would need it to break through the touch skin of such a foe. He knew the only way to kill the dragon was to pierce his heart, he had had enough dallying around, and it was time to finish this. He launched himself off a boulder for extra momentum and headed straight for the chest. Ryuukotsusei saw what he was doing just a moment too late, he knew he was about to die.

In a last ditch effort to save his life he shot an energy ball at the gigantic dog, in a hope to scare him away. It did scare him, but even if he wanted to avoid the blast of energy he could not change his path, he was moving too fast. It would not kill him, wound him badly, maybe, but he would not die, Ryuukotsusei would though, this was his last moment. Sesshoumaru opened his jaws and extended his claws hoping to cause maximum damage and pain in the last few seconds of his enemy's life. The dragon's dying shot hit him the exact moment the lesser youkai's heart's blood filled the gigantic dog's mouth as his heart was pierced.

Everyone heard the dying roar of the dragon as he came to lie, slain at Sesshoumaru's feet. Everyone heard the canine howl of pain and triumph that came after it. The great dragon was finally dead. Sesshoumaru stayed in his true form glaring down at his fallen enemy for some time, snarling and growling and barking despite his win. Blood gushed from his wounds and he knew he was wasting power like this but he wanted to stay until the villagers came back, so they knew all was well. Then he felt the slightest pressure on his forepaw and he looked down to see Kagome clinging to him, a smile on her face, but tears in her eyes.

He scooped her to his chest with the paw and that is what made him change back into his humanoid form, and he was once again a man hugging his daughter. He managed to whisper, "you are safe now," before unconsciousness overcame him. The last things he remembered were his daughter's face, portraying fear and worry, but also relief, hope and a sense of safety, secondly, the old miko Keade rushing towards his fallen form with medical kits at the ready. His last thoughts were that of a delicious brew of tea waiting for the fallen warrior.


	24. I give you my blessings

**All of you have been asking me when the romance kicks in, well, I guess you could say it does here, I like putting intense feelings at the end of my fics, you know with a lemon or lime for a climax – ahem – pun not intended, well enjoy – and do not forget to review!**

**Chapter 24 – I give you my blessings**

When he had saved the village he had done so to save Kagome, not just her life but her soul as well. After all, if all she cared about were to die, then her heart would be broken. That was why, he believed he had saved the life of the boy Kohaku, and even pretended to entrust his ward's life to him. Of course he truly believed she did not need his protection, only the protection of her father, which was him, but it turned out he had moved her from a place of danger to safer ground at several points during the battle. Yet he was slowly coming to believe he saved him for another reason, respect that he would give his life protecting this village, respect that he held such courage. This meant that he had saved the pup not for Kagome, but for him.

Then there was the point when Keade was in danger. He knew she was like a surrogate mother for his pup and she had taught her many things as well as becoming very close to the child. Her own lessons of what family was came back to him as did memories of their first night together when she had waited to come for him. She had invited him down from the tree and to spend the night, and several nights after that in her own home. Memories of that delicious tea such as he had never tasted before, him questioning her about it a night or so ago and her laughing while she gave him the recipe. Her laugh, like Kagome's – her telling him they were not related but that the fact hardly mattered. When he had saved her he could not honestly say that how Kagome would feel about it was at the foremost of his mind.

This village was full of worthy people, people who deserved and needed to be saved, people who needed him. After killing the dragon of course it was necessary for him to help them in the reconstruction of the village. Leaving them in ruins would not have been chivalrous at all, it would take months for them to rebuild, and in that time they would be living in ruins, or at least three families to a home, Kagome's family home was one of the number to remain standing. So it was just part of the job really to help in the reparation, he had already decided that from now on this village was under his personal protection. Not only did Kagome come from here but he had personal ties in the village as well, starting with the old miko.

In order to get the job completed faster had had ordered aid from his own castle to come. Youkai after all were quick at such simple jobs, what would have easily have taken the ningen villages half a year to complete as done in a matter of weeks. Nobody was seriously hurt thankfully, apart from him, and his youkai healing countered that quite nicely. To give him an extra boost, Keade insisted on dressing his wounds, and that had further strengthened their bond. With the physical damage of the village dealt with, the mental recovery could begin. One thing he had not been prepared for was the hero worship though it was nice to be addressed with the proper respect. Nobody feared him anymore though; he was still wondering whether or not that was a good thing.

"Sesshoumaru sama?" The Daiyoukai turned around and suppressed the urge to behead the man for touching his person the way he had. He hated people touching his shoulder to get his attention; he heard and smelt him coming a mile off, if he wished to grant the man his focus then he would have done so. He noticed though that it was Kagome's... father. He felt the urge to kill him just to knock him out of Kagome's life; after all he played that role now, and had no intention of relinquishing it. But he was Kagome's kin, pack in a way and an alpha never harmed one of his own pack unless strictly necessary. Then again, he felt sorry for him, and guilty, this man could strike him and he had the right to do so, he could not retaliate.

"I want to speak to you son," he said turning in the direction of his hut, jerking his head, signalling for him to follow, "alone." While Sesshoumaru raised his eyebrow at being addressed by this man who was several centuries his junior as 'son', he made no comment. He could afford him some of his time he supposed, he owed him that much. He hated following another as if he was not alpha, he was born to be followed, but he knew not to view what was happening as such. He was following someone to their home, and it was _their _home, so he had to respect that, and they were to talk, about what he could only imagine.

The man's tea was not as nice as Keade's, but as he sipped it he still realized it was nicer than whatever it was he had at his palace, he wondered what was being done wrong. The man said nothing for a while and simply observed him over his own cup. The Daiyoukai who was an expert at waiting did not find the scrutiny or the silence tedious. He did not urge the man to tell him what he wanted to, and seeming as it was the man's house, and Kagome's father was the one who wanted to speak to him, he did not make the first comment.

After a little while, he finally decided to set down his cup, "Hideo," he said shortly, "call me by my name, Hideo." This was not all he wanted to talk about obviously, so all Sesshoumaru did was decide to grant his request and nod, signalling for him to continue. "There is nothing more important to me than my family, and Kagome is very precious to me as is the rest of my family. I want Kagome's safety and happiness and I have seen how vigilantly you protect her and train her and I am in no doubt she will be very well with you."

He ran his hand through his hair and Sesshoumaru wondered what he was trying to get at. He knew he could protect her well, no one could protect her and provide for her like he could – so what was he trying to say. Surely he had not needed to prove himself with Ryuukotsusei before his worth and ability was certified by the village. The way he had taken the girl in the first place surely showed them his strength, and in the time they had been together Kagome thought of him as family and the Western Place as their home.

"Do you love my daughter Sesshoumaru?" The demon did not miss that he had dropped the honorific off his name but decided to let it slip. This seemed very important to the man but it made him frown, surely he did not need to ask. Was it not obvious that he loved the girl through everything he did for her? Was it not obvious from the worry he had felt when Ryuukotsusei attacked and attempted to abduct her? Was it not obvious in the way he looked at her, in the way he stayed by her side until she fell asleep?

Maybe this man, Hideo, simply wanted assurance that he had no trouble saying it out loud. Did he truly think he was incapable of saying that he loved her –that being a demon prevented him from admitting it? He was not above simply stating what was true, "Yes," he said without a stutter, neither did he look away from Hideo's dark brown eyes, "I love her." This seemed to assure the man who smiled and nodded in answer. Human were such confusing creatures, their emotions ran wild all the time and took declaration of love very seriously.

A redeeming feature of this human need was their trust in words. Being a Daiyoukai, he had great honour and always kept his word, never needing to lie. If he did not want you to know something he simply would not say it, and he never felt obligated to answer someone he did not respect so if he did not want to answer a question he kept silent. He took great offence when somebody did not trust his word, because a Daiyoukai always kept their word. He loved her, he said he loved her and he meant it, he loved her.

"Then I have no regrets, I hope you take good care of my daughter." Of course for such simple creatures whose intelligence was far beneath his own as was their senses and agility and skill in all areas, they had the ability to confuse him an awful lot. Perhaps their complexity was a lot more... complex, he had to give them more credit – or less. He had been the guardian of Kagome more months now, protected her, provided for her, this man, Hideo, could not prevent him from taking her back after this visit was finished. If he wanted to he could not stop him from taking her back tonight, and now, _now, _he said he had no regrets of him taking the girl with him, _now _he ordered him to take good care of her – why?

"I have no objections in giving you my blessings, son." His voice was sincere, and there was a smile on his face as he said it. The fact he was being serious was the main reason why Sesshoumaru ended up choking on his tea, well that explained the reason why he called him 'son'. The moron was still speaking, heart set on such an idea, "I only ask that you take good care of her, I am sure you have the sense to wait a while. I only want the best for her and I am sure you want the same, I am happy to hand her into your care, I require nothing of you, I just wish the two of you happiness and hope you and my grandkids visit often."

"What are you talking about?" Sesshoumaru spat, trying very hard not to plain explode at the man, "Kagome, I think of her as my pup!" Surely this man did not mean... how could he even think... why did he assume... why were he thoughts in such disarray? "It is wrong to think of her like that, I don't know where you got such an idea from. I love her yes, and I will continue to love her always, but not like that, I love her like you do, as a daughter. We have 'talked' like you requested but I am going to end it, and I am taking Kagome back home."

"Don't assume to know more than I do just because you are a demon, Sesshoumaru, these old eyes see more than you think they do. I have seen the way you look at her and that is no fatherly gaze in your eyes, and that is a lover's look, you love her like that, and I know you do even if you don't. I can see right through you son, I know you better than you do when it comes to this sort of thing. She is young yes, but you are not getting any older, not really, not at the rate she will age. In six years, who knows, you will have probably realized your true feelings by then. She is a miko yes, and you are a demon, but if you can love her as a daughter when you are a Daiyoukai, love is love, what is to say you cannot love in any other way?"

Confused and slightly frightened, Sesshoumaru got to his feet and walked towards the door of the hut, intent on leaving the man Hideo and nonsense he was babbling behind. "You are out of your mind, Hideo," he said, but he did not believe that, his voice was weak when he declared it. He strode out of the hut and cast his eyes around in search of his daughter. He stuck with his previous thoughts of the village, this place was madness, hardly a place worthy of such a pup, they were leaving this madness, and they were leaving tonight. If this was the lunacy he was going to be exposed to, they were not coming back either.

Seeming to sense his distress, the old miko, and, somehow, knowing his intentions, Keade approached him, a look of concern on her lined face. "Are you leaving so soon Sesshoumaru, you have been with us a mere couple of months.." she trailed off as she saw the look in his eyes, "is everything alright, are your wounds playing up? You look frightened, and the great and powerful Sesshoumaru is not easily scared or worried." He looked down upon the old miko and wondered whether or not to answer, she had not exactly asked a question, but he was not sure whether or not he was even capable of repeating what Hideo had said.

"This village is nothing but foolishness, tonight I am leaving with Kagome. I would very much like to see you again though; I enjoyed spending time together with you and look forward to doing so again. We shall return, in a couple of month's time maybe, and I hope we can stay for longer. I however cannot leave my land alone for long; my subjects need their Lord there to govern them. I cannot stay here any longer either, it makes no sense, and he makes no sense. She is a child, a miko, my pup," he suddenly remembered Keade had no way of knowing what the hell he was talking about and he shut up, "do you know where Kagome is?"

"She is playing with her friends at the opposite end of the village, now she is all healed up and no longer falling ill she is enjoying her time with them." He strode off in her direction but was stopped by a hand wrapping around his lower arm – why did everyone assume they had that liberty now? But it was Keade, someone who he now considered to be a friend; she did have such a liberty. "Leave her be for now Sesshoumaru, she is enjoying herself, you would not deny her that as her family would you? Come inside and we shall talk," she said, beckoning for him to follow her, "and have some tea," she added, that was the deciding factor.

Kagome did not like the idea of leaving at all, and a small argument followed, this was as expected though. Sesshoumaru managed to not lose his temper, although he had always had a short fuse, because of the good news of the fact that Kikyou would not be joining them. After a visit with Keade, Kagome had discovered she could harness her powers by herself now, although just for safety she would be using them an awful lot. It would train her as well to do this, learning to fight by erecting miko barriers and shooting purification arrows.

Kagome eventually gave up; Sesshoumaru always won arguments anyway, settling for sulking on his youki cloud while they flew back to his castle. He forced himself not to feel guilty, this was for the best after all, and she would soon come to learn that all of his decisions were for the best. Yet his mind wandered to Hideo and his words, and how he had looked past age and race and species, miko and youkai heritage. He looked down at his ward and for the first time he saw her through new eyes, through the eyes of a suitor.

For the first time he saw her raven silky locks pulled into a messy ponytail as beautiful instead of cute. He saw how her small breasts which were no longer flat started to show through her kimono and noted how they would fill out in time. He saw her turning into a young woman, with a slim waist and full hips. He noted that she had plump lips, healthy skin, long legs and... And her midnight eyes, they were stunning; he could not take his own amber orbs off of them. The way she melded to his chest when he hugged her... everything about her was perfection, as if she was made for him, that old fool Hideo was suddenly not so much of a fool.

He shook his head viciously from side to side letting out a small snarl of aggravation making Kagome stir at his feet. Quietly sulking and falling to sleep she was jerked quite suddenly awake and scrambled back, coming to the conclusion that was angry at her for some reason. Sesshoumaru just about managed to prevent her falling off his youki cloud and plummeting to the ground below. He manoeuvred his foot so he was standing over her, effectively preventing her from moving anywhere, least of all off the cloud.

He loved her, he loved, he loved, he loved her, but it was platonic love, which was as far as his feelings went for her, it was family love. But according to Hideo, love was love and that is as far as things went, love is love and the different kinds of love that existed did not come into the equation. Hideo had seen right through demon and Miko heritage of the two of them, and how they were opposites, he had seen through the age gap and even his unconfirmed feelings. He had started to see her through new eyes now, he had started to question himself, and he knew he was going to be plagued from now on about it, the seeds had been sown. Did he... that is could he grow to see her as more – did he love her like that?

He would be asking that question every minute of every day for the next few weeks. Not once did he actually get his answer, every time he thought he may be getting close, disbelief and denial kicked in to put a cap on it, it was most aggravating.


	25. Straight from the horse's mouth

**I was going to call this human and youkai custom but decided this is better. A great hand to ShadowNala for helping me. do not forget to review.**

**Chapter 25 – straight from the horse's mouth**

Sesshoumaru was annoyed, well not really, truthfully, he was worried. He had been feeling such an emotion all too much recently and that annoyed him further so he had decided to morph it this time into something he was a bit more familiar and comfortable with – anger. As per usual it was at himself, and as per usual it was to do with the wellbeing of his ward. Oh he had his servants and knew they did a tremendous job, he was sure of it, dealing with the question of her humanity wondrously, and bearing in mind she could not be treated like a youkai pup.

He made sure she was fed appropriately, that meant no raw meat and plenty of fruit and vegetables as well. Along with this she had to eat regularly, at least twice a day and not three times a week, he even found the time to join her for every meal, though he did not always eat during these times, usually he settled for tea or sake, well more often tea than sake now with the new recipe he had. He gave her plenty to drink, and milk too; he knew that was a necessity, and the same with pups of all species, and ages, older pups still needed it too.

He made sure she got at least eight hours sleep a night and did not insist she rose at dawn like he might do with future demon pups of his own. He was not always successful with this seeming as she had the tendency to be up and doing as soon as light filtered though her window and the melatonin kicked in. He noticed however that despite this she never seemed tired, he noticed no bags under the eyes, or poor decision making, and she continued to excel in her lessons further than any pup he had ever come across.

That was another area in her upbringing he had decided to monitor closely. She was schooled in every subject she needed to be, and Akito was taking her for more lessons than usual due to a ball which was to be held at his palace in a couple of moons time for the annual meet of the cardinal lords and their families. This year, he, the Western Lord was the host, which meant he could not back out and hide his Kagome. He was not worried about it, there was no way someone would dare try to harm her, or even be openly disapproving. He was aware however someone may feel the need to test her or try to disgrace her. While it was impossible she could be an embarrassment to him, she represented his ability to care for her.

He gave her everything she could need emotionally as well, companionship and friends, he even allowed her a visit to her village and he planned to make another one in just under a month's time before the cardinal visit. She had been spending more time with Packo in the kitchens, and this time not only had he allowed it, he had condoned it. He knew for a fact that very soon she would be cooking a meal for him, cooking, he knew that while the food was bound to be nice and of good quality he would not enjoy it if it was meat.

He gave her the finest kimonos to wear and jewellery and make up she could want, not that she ever wore any. He made sure she was happy, that was his number one priority and still he was failing her, and he did not understand this, it made no sense after he had been so careful to make sure she had everything. He was sure it was an aspect of her humanity he was missing, but he had tried to counter that by questioning Keade on a human's needs and how they differed from youkai pups. If he asked she would either not understand or refuse to tell him, and it hurt him and angered him more to admit it, but even after research and hours of questioning the old miko the problem was simple, he did not know enough.

It was not like his pup was in any life threatening danger, no, it was simply that she was unhappy, but even this simple fact was enough to rile him. He was her father, and he was not knowledgeable enough to adequately care for her and ensure her happiness, something every father wants. His thoughts wandered to Hideo, he would know what to do, and the words he had said, 'I give you my blessings...' ridiculous. Only it wasn't, because there was nothing 'wrong' they were not biologically related and he had started to get jibes and problems from his beast as well. Letting it out to defeat the dragon and weakened his mental restraints on the feral thing and more and more frequently it appeared in the foremost of his mind.

He hated arguing with himself even if it was with his beast which was almost another being; it was even under another name, mokomoko. _**We want her. **_His sudden appearance was always unexpected and when he appeared he always came with a comment like this. Sometimes he was more forceful, saying something like _**TAKE HER NOW! **_And he had to run and lock himself into his chambers while his eyes went from amber to red to amber to red to amber again while he fought his beast back into the chains his mind had supplied centuries ago. The blasted dog always broke out once more a day or so later, sometimes only a couple of hours later.

Sometimes the beast was more rational and urged him to look at her through the new eyes he had started to view her in. Sometimes he said how it made sense to make her his mate and he had to argue for hours about how she was too young. The beast told him he already loved her like that and that was why he overreacted when the village boys, Kohaku and Hojo hung off of her. When this happened he went back to his room and beat his head against the wall to shut it up. He hated it when his beast made sense like that, he was harder to deny.

He usually always gave his beast what he wanted because it seldom asked for anything and he usually needed or wanted what it was too. But this was something he could not allow mokomoko to take; his daughter should and would always remain his pup. Kagome was but a young child now she could not possible accommodate his size anyway, it was preposterous, the thought of hurting her, physically, and destroying her mentally was another way to shut him up, but it brought more worry and anger to him too. He was her light and he fought for her, like hell was he going to be the one to extinguish her, not that it seemed he would get the chance.

She seemed dull and dark recently, for two days in fact, and that concerned him. While he was sure it was something that would pass in time, he did not want it to come about at all in the first place. He was annoyed and worried and knew he needed more information, so he was going to do something he hated, he was going to ask for help. Akito and Sakura had always been knowledgeable about human pups, Sakura had adopted two of her own, though they were adults and mated and moved away now, he would ask her what he was missing. She was her light and she lit up his world, without her his heart would go back into deep freeze.

Keade had been teasing when she said she would be sincerely sorry if Kagome turned out similar to him in any way shape or form. Reviewing his own cold demeanour and speech which was entirely inappropriate for a child to copy, not to mention him being the killing perfection Daiyoukai, he had readily agreed with sincerity. He had doubted the slim possibility of this happening would ever become a problem, for she was too sweet and pure, and that purity had rubbed off on his own tainted soul, illuminating the darkness it had originally resided in. She was good effect on him and loved that she was rubbing off on him but it shouldn't go the other way.

He vowed to get to the bottom of this and he would do so today, striding through his castle he cast his eyes left and right until he caught sight of who he was looking for. He would ask Akito, someone he was friendlier with and someone who had more confidence when around him, but Kagome was currently in a lesson with him. Sakura was trotting through the halls with a silly smile on her face which could only mean one thing; she had a crush on someone. Visibly only in her early twenties she dressed in a way which made her look younger still catching the attention of many male suitors, but it was natural beauty she could not really help, and it was not in her character to disguise herself and dress in a way merely to remain more modest.

Everybody in his castle was above raping a poor woman, but it did not stop her from having a crush, and that was it was, she was not at the stage of seriously falling in love yet, she dressed immaturely, because she was. She was bright though, and good with children and that was why she tutored his pup. Unconsciously he did a Kikyou comparison, no, she had been indecent, he did a Kagome comparison as well, well Mokomoko did anyway. _**Our Kagome is beautiful, **_he supplied, and he would usually reply, but now was not the time to be snarling at himself, Sakura was shy as it was without him scaring her while they spoke.

_Go away, _he ordered his beast as he approached her, earning the familiar retort of

_**I am you, I cannot simply disappear.**_

_Then go back to where you came from. _

_**I refuse to let you carry on in denial anymore, she is ours, perfect, take her.**_

It seemed his beast was so lost in its lust it had reverted back to simple speech. _Not now, I need to talk to her tutor concerning her wellbeing and she is a shy individual, I do not need you scaring her. Kagome will remain upset if I do not get a chance to talk to this woman. _Once more the beast saw reason when it came to Kagome's health and wellbeing and sulked back to where it came from. It threw a reply of _**I will return **_over its shoulder, and of this Sesshoumaru was certain, as much as he hated it, he always came back.

"Sakura," he called, making her wipe the expression off of her face and come to a stop. "There is a matter concerning my ward that I wish to discuss with you." Instantly fearing it was she doing something wrong with her lessons Sesshoumaru felt the waves of apprehension wash over him. He suddenly felt the need to reassure her, this too was new, he would never have even considered explaining himself before Kagome. Maybe it was a general change in him, maybe it was because Kagome liked Sakura and therefore he found himself having an obligation to like and respect her more than other servants in his castle too.

"It seems my ward has been particularly upset as of late, I was wondering if you had any idea why." He felt the apprehension grow and it became suffocating, he had to put an end to it, "rest assure I am not accusing you of anything." The apprehension left again and a small smile came onto her face as she realized what he was asking, but he verbalized it anyway no matter how much it hurt his pride and ego, "I am simply asking your assistance. You may know more than I when it comes to the raising of human pups, and she is friendly to you, she may have told you something that she did not see the need or feared to tell me."

"It turned out I can help you with the dilemma my Lord," she smiled and Sesshoumaru felt a knot inside his chest loosen. "You see Humans have this custom, a custom that is particularly important to pups that does not exist in most youkai lives. They like to have a celebration every twelve months as they get older, celebrating another year passed. She did not want to tell you because she feared you may find it silly, but today is Kagome's eleventh birthday and she has not received any gifts or been made to feel particularly special like she would be among her human family.

"Where is she now?" He questioned.

"In the kitchens, Packo is attempting to cheer her up with a cake her made. I believe he is enjoying it more than her, he likes it that there is someone who appreciates his artistry and creativity when cooking a meal."

Nodding his thanks, he left. His first stop was his chambers; he had already given her everything she could want so he had to give her something special, luckily he had an idea. He pulled out a think abler chain with a crescent blue moon as the pendant and stowed it in his sleeve. With that he hurried down to the kitchens to see the female working bustling about busier than normal because their leader was preoccupied with tending to the young human. "I have always wanted to use this ingredient," he gushed, pouring some sort of spice into a bowl, "but all anyone wants is meat, all I can do is arrange is nicely on a plate." This got a small smile out of his ward and he silently thanked the cook who had now noticed his presence.

"Ah, Lord Sesshoumaru, how may I be of assistance to you?" That boy too had grown in confidence around him and he took this as a good thing, a household was always better run on trust and respect than loyalty earned by fear. Sesshoumaru however ignored him and turned his full attention to the child, with a small smile he said, "happy birthday Kagome."

The simple words had a magical effect on the child and her face broke into a smile immediately, lighting up the entire room. He felt a small well of guilt, "it was Sakura," he admitted without meaning to, "I went to ask her why you were acting so upset and she told me about human custom of celebrating birthdays."

The young child however did not seem at all disheartened by this and attached herself to his leg, giving him a hug. "But you were worried about me, and that is why you went to ask what was wrong to make me feel better, right? Thank you for caring so much about me, and for worrying you, I promise to tell you everything in the future."

Pleased with this reaction he moved onto the next phase. "Turn around," he bid his ward and she did so immediately, grin still plastered on her face. He slid the cool metal around her neck and fastened it in place. "This is an amulet, wherever you go, with me or without me it will keep you safe," he said. It wasn't strictly speaking a lie, it showed she belonged to him, hence the crescent moon, and very few people were stupid enough to anger him by threatening that which was his. Inus were protective and possessive of things that belonged to them and often ended up killing those who opposed or challenged them.

"Keep it close to your skin," he said, "and if you need me then put your hand over it and call me telepathically and I'll hear you and come to your aid."

"Really, it has that much power?" She was amazed, good.

"Yes, it does."

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru."

She looked at her gift in amazement some moments more and he decided it was indeed a good choice. Trouble followed her wherever she went whether she had a protector with her or not, he was sure Ryuukotsusei was not the last enemy he would have to dispatch. Then suddenly an extremely pleasant aroma filled the room. His eyes turned to the recently forgotten Packo who was holding a now cooked what he presumed to be a birthday cake. He noticed all eyes turned to him and flashed a nervous toothy smile, holing up a small knife, "anyone for cake?"

Later that evening, sleep evaded Sesshoumaru for hours, his beast had come back and decided to torture him some more about the feelings he wanted to deny but found himself unable to do so. _**She is ready for us, she must want us too, who else could she want? **__She has the slayer boy and other human; we have no right to take her choice away from her. Besides she is too young to be considering such things as of yet anyway, we must be patient. __**You say wait, but what to do you mean, wit for her, or wait for your own feelings to solidify. **__You and I may be one but we are still different, I mean to wait for us both._

He lay awake for hours on top of the covers on his bed fully clothed staring at the ceiling of his room. He watched the shadows of the night dance across the walls and was simply aware of time passing. He may have slept for an hour, maybe two, but when light shone through his window to signal the coming of morning, he realized he had not moved a muscle. One thought kept circling his head as much as he did not want such an impure thought to be there, even for a Daiyoukai. She was one year older, this meant a lot of things, but one stood from the others: she was one year closer to being old enough to become his mate.

That was a custom for both humans and Youkai


	26. The need of a friend

**O.K, so this chapter is slightly OOC at the end, but should be alright. Hope you like and don't forget to review. Thanks to ShadowNala for beta-ing**

**Chapter 26 – the need of a friend**

The rain was pouring down throughout the western Lands, oddly representative of the feelings of the Lord who governed them. The giant white dog let out a howl as he crashed through the trees, knocking many of them down or mutilating anything and everything that got in his way. He came to a stop in a secluded area and lay down; resting his massive head on his paws and let out a piercing whine. The red eyes flicked to that of amber, but the form of the dog remained, for some reason unable to return to the humanoid figure he usually was. Another whine escaped him as he went over the day's occurrences.

The day had started out like any other. Kagome went for her lessons with  
>Sakura and then after something to eat was under the tutelage of Akito for the rest of the day. Sesshoumaru was well aware that the solid seven hours of the day left was not purely dancing, Kagome would have blisters or passed out. It turned out they had lots of breaks to talk and have tea and sake, well, Akito would have the sake, Kagome would have Keade's tea. He had heard that she was onto music now and was very good at a few of songs, intrigue and impressed by this news he had bid to come along and watch – that was when it happened.<p>

He was mesmerized as soon as the couple started dancing, following their every movement with his eyes. Akito was a master, he had been dancing for decades now and was the best Japan had to offer, and Sesshoumaru always had the best. Kagome however had only been dancing for a matter of months, but he could tell not just from observation of her, but of Akito, even under his tutelage she was incredible. He had never had a pupil like her and he was impressed, proud and happy to have someone worthy to be taught like him, as Packo had been happy for someone to appreciate his talents. Akito along with being cold, was incredibly vain and arrogant, like him – if not quite as egotistical, it was unsurprising they got along well.

The footwork from both of them caught him in a trap and he found himself  
>unable to break away from complicated and intricate pattern they took. Kagome, although so young swayed as she danced, hips moving and hair whipping about. The dress she wore complimented her and the dance perfectly, highlighting her soft curves and which were present now that she was coming into womanhood. It spread out as she danced, a startling red and blue with silver stripes, completing a dance of its own around the girl who wore it.<p>

Kagome's face was lit in a soft smile as she danced, lips curled into a grin as she gazed into the dark eyes of her partner. Sesshoumaru surprised himself by feeling a pang of jealousy, even though he knew Akito was just tutoring her. However, despite their differences in size and age, the two of them likes and knew each other well and fit each other so perfectly well and completely it cut him and sent him wondering whether he had that sort of comfort and closeness with her. They smiled into each other's eyes as they looked solely at one another, not around the room, not at their feet, they did not need to. They swayed and stepped and turned and twirled one another in time to the music, and Sesshoumaru was feeling quite forgotten.

He knew Akito was not interested in her in the way that Sesshoumaru was  
>beginning to realize he was, but he felt a pang of burning anger anyway. He<br>managed to suppress it to nothing but a slight growl which could be interpreted as appreciative of the dance. Then his beast decided to come  
>charging to the front of his mind as he too had had enough of their Kagome<br>dancing in the arms of another. Maybe it was because she was looking so  
>ravishing, maybe it was because he had started to realize his true feelings<br>for her but the anger was a lot more intense than last time with the village boys who liked her, the slayer Kohaku and the teenager Hojo.

His beast snarled and growled and whined at some points too. He knew that  
>Akito was her instructor, an instructor who happened to like her and the<br>feelings of mutual like were returned. Still, the anger bubbled up inside of him and his beast snarled 'rival!' As he continued to dance with Kagome he felt him gain control again. He had come here to watch her dance, and nothing else was taking place, still, he could not help but read into it. He had had perfect control over his beast for many centuries, even when he released it once in a while, and now that learned tight control was weakening, and he did not like that one bit.

Then suddenly Kagome doubled over in pain, hands clutching her stomach. The  
>only thing that kept her up was Akito's hands which were still on her hips.<br>She did not say anything, but he steadied her until he lowered her to a seat, looking down at her in concern. Sesshoumaru walked over to her as well, worry etched onto his features as she held her stomach in pain. He wished it wasn't serious and decided it wasn't either, otherwise surely there would be other symptoms. He was about to tell Akito to simply alert the healers when they smelt it.

Blood, Kagome's blood, and a lot of it. And it was not just any blood, old  
>blood; her first monthly flow had started, she was in heat. One whiff of her in heat and Sesshoumaru lost all control and his beast flew to the surface. With a crazed snarl and crimson eyes he swiped and Akito and sent him flying across the room to crash into opposite wall. Then with one hand he slammed Kagome down to the floor and hovered over her holding himself up on pumped up forearms, hands gripping the shoulders of the young girl beneath him.<p>

Frightened she started to cry, but he couldn't help himself and he ducked his head down and licked her neck, drawing all along the pulse line to where her small cleavage started for her breasts had started to fill out too. She was a beautiful young woman now, he had to take her now, otherwise more and more males would keep on coming, claiming her or trying to, and he would be driven further to insanity each time. She may not really like it, but he had an eternity to make up for it and he would regain her favour once more. She tasted divine, like nectar from the Kamis themselves, better than any meal that could ever be given to him, better then sake, better then Keade's tea. He wondered what her juices would taste like, he needed more, he needed to taste more skin, her blood, her juices, everything she had to offer, her, her.

His hands ran through her hair and then moved down to feel her breasts and then moved further to her stomach. He roamed the flat plains for a short while before moving south a little further to reach her sex. He ignored her as confused tears of fright ran down her face, he did not hear her begging him to stop and go away. Faintly he heard her asking for her Lord and father to come back, but it was not enough to reach him. he forced one knee between her legs and she tried to keep her thighs closed together but his strength was so massive he failed to even notice her fighting and thrashing as she attempted to free herself. He was so lost in his craze he did not notice the youkai come up behind him, his sole attention was on the young female below him. She was so small, she was going to be so tight, and that was going to feel glorious.

He set to work on his hakamas, hurrying in his burning desire to slam into her and claim her as his own when something hard and heavy hit the back of his head. It struck him with such force it made him see stars and black spots entered the edges of his vision but he blinked the back. He leapt up and away from the girl he was straddling to pinpoint the soon to be dead youkai. He was beyond angry at the interruption, not just because of the interruption or the assault to his person, but because they represent a danger to his intended as well and he did not intend to let a threat to his intended continue to live. He flared his aura and for some reason he still could not find him, but a few seconds later when he turned back to his female, she was gone.

He roared in anger and spun around the room to find her but as soon as his eyes lightened on her tiny, frightened figure, clinging desperately to another male, a slap cracked across his face. It was so hard it split his lip and a hand came up in response to massage the large bruise which was sure to come up there in a matter of seconds. "Get a hold of yourself!" Someone shouted, the male who had hit him, but he did not want to hear from him, in fact he wanted him dead and to get to his female once more, his claws glowed green. Then another slap cracked across the same cheek and the pain was so intense some of the red was chased from his eyes, not all of it, but some golden streaks made  
>its way back into those orbs.<p>

Reality and what almost transpired slammed into him like a sledgehammer and he took several steps away from the two of them. Kagome was crying, she was so scared and confused, she was inconsolable, though Akito was trying his best, he could barely stand to look at her and no way was her able to meet her eyes. He turned to the dancer, but Akito was not much of a solace, his eyes were hard and cold – unforgiving. While he understood what Sesshoumaru had done, or at least tried to do and why, he was livid, and was not intending to let it slide. He started to hyperventilate and moved back from the couple even more.

Kagome buried her face into his black haori and seeing her do that to another man, and because of him broke his heart. His apologetic beast whimpered and so did he for losing control of it, he moved forward on instinct to comfort her but was stopped by Akito's voice. "Not a step closer!" He shouted in demand, his voice frightening, the most forceful he had even heard it be from him. It made him stop and look at him questioningly, yes he had almost done an awful thing, but he hadn't, the key word there was 'almost'. He would not hurt her now, he realized himself now, and surely he understood why, surely he forgave him.

"You're scaring the life out of her!" Akito pulled the girl closer to his chest, protecting her, protecting her from him, of all people, him. But what made it worse was that she needed that protection, and he had given her that amulet, and still the biggest danger to her proved to be him. "Go away," Akito  
>ordered quite suddenly out of the blue, and both he and his beast recoiled, pack members hardly ever said that to one another. It was usually the alpha to the omega, casting him out of the pack, making sure he knew he was no longer welcome. You could not do that to the alpha, and you certainly could not do that to the Western Lord.<p>

But all the same he still wanted to get out there. But he did not want to leave Kagome with Akito; he needed to talk to her, to make her understand. His beast longed to make it up to her and the gold left his eyes turning them into crimson orbs once more. He stalked towards her but Akito cut in again and this time he was a lot more forceful in his order. "For Kami's sake Sesshoumaru," and he dropped the honorific, achieving the Daiyoukai's full attention. "Just go away and leave her alone Sesshoumaru. Damn it, just GO AWAY! GO! LEAVE! GO AWAY!" He recoiled with each word, beast whimpering for forgiveness, begging to be understood.

"I can't believe what you almost did Sesshoumaru. That I have been serving under a Lord who would do that. She is a child Sesshoumaru, your child, a child that loves you, respects you, looks up to you, relies on you for protection, trusts you, and you betrayed her. Take a look at her," he said, making the Daiyoukai look at the terrified girl still shaking in Akito's arms. "Is this fair Sesshoumaru," he got no answer so he tried once more, "Is this fucking fair? This fear and pain, for Kami's sake just leave and don't come back until you learn to control your goddamn urges!" The angst and power in Akito's  
>voice was clear as he scolded Sesshoumaru.<p>

He did not know what to do; it was a situation he never thought he would find himself in. He found himself wanting to kill Hideo for starting this whole thing, but that was not right. He should not pass the blame onto others, this was his fault, and only his fault, and his beast. Akito was right, he needed  
>to get out of here, and he had lost an awful lot, the trust of his friend and pack, the love and trust of his pup, and a pack is built on trust, as is a family, and he had betrayed that. He did the only thing that was left for him to do, he obeyed Akito, and he ran. He transformed into a giant white dog and<br>fled his castle as fast as his four legs could carry him.

The massive head rested on the humungous paws and he whined for all he was worth. 'I'm sorry, Kagome, I'm so, so sorry.'

Then suddenly he heard someone coming, a human, he did not know who it was and neither did he care but he let out a warning growl for everyone to stay away. To his surprise the ningen did not stop in her pursuit, for he could smell it was a female. He looked up and his surprise showed in his face, he did not even realize that he had travelled here. Maybe he had unconsciously come here  
>in search of comfort from his friend, in search of understanding from those who had recently come to like and trust him. He did not know, he did not care, he wanted to change back, he wanted to rest, he wanted to make things right, most of all, strangely he wanted to cry. "Sesshoumaru, I must say, of all people or youkai I expected to find here at this time, you were the last on my list, what on earth has happened?" the old miko exclaimed, looking at his gigantic form through her one eye, completely unafraid.<p>

He tried to tell her something, anything, but of course in dog form he was unable and just managed to let out another piercing howl.

"Sesshoumaru my friend, you must calm down, are you unable to change back to your common form?" He did not know how she worked that out so quickly, but he did not concern himself with that, it must be obvious from the distress he was displaying. He expected her to ask what had happened and what was wrong, and how was Kagome, why she was not with him. However she said nothing, she just sat down against a near tree and looked at him, waiting for him to settle too.  
>Eventually in the still of the calm forest he did.<p>

"My friend, I know not what has you so distressed but I shall not ask you. Wait until you are ready to discuss what is troubling you and know that I am always an open ear to you. I am your friend and I wish to help you whenever I can. I know not why you are here but know I can help you, even if it is just to listen. You do not have to retreat into your more primal form whenever you are angry or distressed and it is okay to feel frightened, it is a natural and evolutionarily practical emotion to have. It is okay to accept freely given comfort and aid and okay to ask for it when you need it."

"You can change back, I know you can for it is as simple as knowing who you are and you are Sesshoumaru, Lord of the West, I know that, and so should you. Please, come back to us, it is alright, I promise you we will make it right, it is okay." her voice calmed him, it was soothing to listen to, and he truly listened and thought about her words, and wondered if they were true. Was it acceptable for him to feel frightened to ask for and accept help, but she truly looked like she wanted to help him out. She was truly family to Kagome, she was just as selfless.

She was right, he did need to tell someone, and he was glad she offered, though, especially knowing how close she was to the young girl he was slightly apprehensive about what he reaction would be. She was right about his control too; it was not as hard as he was feeling it was right now. He needed to calm, get a hold of himself; he was Sesshoumaru, the killing perfection, first son of the legendary Inu not Taisho, Lord of the Western Lands and most feared and renowned Daiyoukai in Japan. He could control his beast and with a swirl of light he was standing before her.

She looked so kind and he could not hold it in any longer. He collapsed onto her smaller frame, surprised she was able to hold his body weight. He buried his face into the crook of his friend's neck and he cried for all he was worth. He had not cried since he was a young pup, especially not in front of another, but with Keade it seemed almost natural. She held him and told him it was alright and all he could do was wonder whether it was really going to be okay. 


	27. The time to return

**Hope you enjoy this one peoples, do not forget to review.**

**Chapter 27 – The time to return**

Some reason unable to stand on his own, Sesshoumaru leant heavily against his friend, letting her half lead, half drag him into her hut. He was shaking all over while this happened and was unable to talk, Keade however had more sense than to ask him and just set about making some tea while he attempted to calm down. When asked whether he wanted anything to drink all she received was a nod, this worried her, because the stoic all powerful Daiyoukai who fought to the death she knew had seemed to have transformed into a frightened child. However, she kept at the calming techniques and 3 cups of tea later he was ready to talk.

"I hurt Kagome," he said suddenly, blurting it out rather suddenly for such a planned and ready individual, however nothing caught Keade off guard. While she was surprised that he would allow any harm to come to her, least of all from himself she nodded, taking it in her stride and gestured her head for him to continue. "My beast did in any case," he admitted, looking down, unable to meet the eyes of one so careful and selfless. "Hideo, last time we came, he said that he gave us his blessings, as you can imagine that confused me and we left shortly afterwards. But he was right; my beast has not let me alone since."

"How far did you go," her voice was serious, but to his surprise he detected no anger or hate or betrayal, nothing, just serious, but she was serene. He knew he had to answer her, but there was an unspoken word in there that she had not dared to voice, just in case it was true. '_Did you go all the way, did you go too far.' _Thankfully it had turned out the Kamis had decided to let fate be slightly merciful to him for once this time. No, he had not gone all the way; he had not deflowered her, but the scary thing was, he had come damn close to doing so.

"She is undergoing her first womanly monthly cycle, because she was heat, me beast went crazy. I lost all control and my mental restraints just snapped, I did not do all that much though. I threw her to the floor, it scared her and shook her up a bit, but apart from a couple of minor bruises she is not hurt, not physically. Akito stopped me before anything serious went underway, but it almost happened. The mental scars will be there, she was inconsolable Keade, I hurt her badly, and I do not know if she will ever forgive me for it."

"In time she will forgive you Sesshoumaru, I promise you that, she loves you, she told me so. Loved ones hurt us more than our enemies, that is true, but we also forgive them more and more, for larger crimes against us too. You will be surprised what she will tolerate and forgive in time, she will come to you to tell you that she has forgiven you, and then you will be O.K to move forward. All you have to do is have patience and keep hope, and do not run away, no matter how scared or confused you are, only by facing these troubles face on will you overcome it."

"But she was in danger Keade, I was a potential threat to her, I had to go away, I had to leave, just in case I lost control again. I almost raped her Keade, if Akito had not overcome me throwing him across the room and stopped me, rescuing her; I might have gone all the way. She was so scared, you should have seen her eyes, and she was so frightened. My own child was frightened of me, do you understand how awful that is. I could not bear to be in there a moment longer, and Akito cast me out of the palace, cast me out of my own home."

Keade glossed over this bit of information, it was not that she did not understand pack politics and what entailed being told to leave one's pack, but it was because it was impossible to cast out your alpha without several witnesses, including that of the beta, which happened to be Inuyasha. "Would you do it again?" Catching his glare of death at such a question after he had just exclaimed how broken he was letting happen the once she reiterated. "Not purposefully of course, but during her next heat, do you think you would lose control of your beast again?"

"Even if I do, such events would not transpire a second time, I will not let them. Although I may lose control, my beast had learnt its lesson too. It still wants her, as do I; I wish to take her as a mate one day as well. But after seeing how broken she was, after seeing how much I hurt her and frightened her, I could not allow that again. She is perfectly safe from now on; I know that with certainty, I had not expected my reactions to be so strong, for I would sooner lock myself up in my chambers every month than subject her to such a traumatic experience."

"If this is truly the case, then you have nothing more to fear. If you pose no threat to her as you claim, then you do not have to run or hide, you have to start making things right. You can probably be back by tomorrow, apologise to her, and to Akito, you will not regain all of her affection and trust straight away. The healing process will be long, it will take time, months even, and you cannot rely on a big dragon to come along for you to save her from to prove your loyalty and affection for her. But she will forgive you in time, they all will.

As for taking her for a mate, I trust you will not make the same mistake again, and that she will learn to see you for the good man you are. I have no doubt that she will choose you of her own accord and I give you my blessings too, it is honour to know you, and an honour to welcome you as family. Do not change your behaviour, it is best to try and forget the whole ordeal and put it behind you after you have apologised – profusely. She will forgive you, stop shaking, but in order for this to happen you must take the first step of acceptance, you did a wrong thing, and it had consequences, but now it is up to you to fix it, and to receive forgiveness you must be willing to let her in. The important thing for now is to forgive yourself."

"I can do that, but not for a few days, I cannot even bare to think about meeting her eyes right now." He was still so ashamed of what he had done, and although he believed Keade that she would forgive him, she had after all started to love him even after he kidnapped her. But he was still afraid of going back there to see her, to se Akito and his fury; he had after all grown attached to the little girl like everyone else in his castle and had grown more than a little protective. "Would you allow me to stay here overnight, maybe a couple of nights until I regain my courage?"

"You're my friend of course my door is always open to you, as is my tea."

Something told him he should not be so easily controlled as he trotted dutifully behind her back to her hut. It had been three days now, he kept returning to her, and he allowed her to feed him and give him tea and a place to sleep. He came back with a gift each day too, animals usually, he took the job of hunting for the village and giving them money, he was a respectable lord after all, he pulled his weight, he was no free loader. He was happy here with her, in this village, and he was just waiting for the day Keade put her foot down and sent him home.

12 days later the order for him to face his fears back in the Western Palace moon came, well it was not an order, it was advice with a hint. He knew she was right of course, he had been lucky to be allowed to stay for as long as he had done. He bent down and placed a chaste kiss on her left cheek in an Inu sign of affection and thanks. Thankfully she was knowledgeable of demons of many kinds and knew this so he did not have to blush and explain himself. He nodded and left without an argument, he had to face this soon or it will just keep getting harder and the mess he had run from would keep getting worse.

When he arrived home nobody seemed too bothered about it, or at all seemed to know he had gone for a while either. Many of his workers did not see him for this long or longer anyway seeming as he went from his room to his study to the dining hall, occasionally touring the border of his lands of dealing with some menace wreaking havoc in his lands, problems such as Ryuukotsusei. He thanked the Kamis for small mercies, he did not need people questioning his actions, not that anyone would dare, but even inside or with their eyes he did not want people to be unsure of their Lord, it was his responsibility to make sure his subjects trusted him and felt safe.

Indeed the only ones who even knew about his trip were Akito and Kagome and he planned on them being the only ones knowing. It turned out however that his beta, Inuyasha had been let know he had gone, although not told the reason why and had taken up the position of Western Lord in his absence. "Your departure was sudden and unexpected; it was a good thing I did not have a serious matter to attend to, it was alright to leave my men alone and come back. Next time let us know when you have to take a business trip O.K?"

So Akito had alerted Inuyasha in his absence but not released any further information to him. it would seem the dancer was still his friend, and had decided to save his relationship with his brother. It he had released information about what he had done and what he had almost done to Kagome to the half breed then a fight would have ensued, a fight that he would have lost. Inuyasha rarely beat him in combat, but he would have won because he deserved to be beaten for what he did, and Inuyasha like everyone else in the Palace loved the girl. As much as he said he despised his little brother he did love him and did not want him to hate him back.

"I've done the paperwork you needed to in your absence seeming as I doubted you wanted backlog when you get back. No wonder you are so moody all the time it is bloody boring if easy, there are no major problems to attend to. One piece of information is that the gathering you were hosting has been postpones ten months. I did not know when you would be back, I mean if you were going to take as long as the last time you disappeared without telling anyone it would have been half a year until we saw you again."

Indeed his younger half brother was right, the last time he had disappeared for a while; it had been to deal with Ryuukotsusei. Every time it seemed he was getting close there would be news of an attack by a dragon on another village. Sometimes it was him, sometimes it was a decoy while it turned out the real villain was off attacking somewhere miles away. It took months before he finally found him and then he was led on chasing him for a couple of days to make sure he was suitably exhausted and frustrated and then he was ambushed. Thankfully he had managed to flee and it was then Kagome found him and nursed him back to health.

"I did not have menace such as the dragon to deal with this time; it was a minor piece of trouble that I needed to deal with." He offered no more elaboration and Inuyasha seemed to understand that he meant it was personal. While he did not press he did ask why it took him out of the palace, after all, he lived here, his life was here, and anything personal surely would be resolved in the palace. Inuyasha did not want to be Lord, and was glad he was the younger son; he did not mind doing his responsibility and his brother's beta, and heir.

However being the elder son meant he had the right to choose, it just so happened that more often than not the Daiyoukai would choose to become Lord. Should his personal life extend beyond the palace walls he was scared that spoke of his desire to give up the throne. While Sesshoumaru's usual answer would be a request for the impertinent half breed to keep his nose out of matters that did not concern him, he held his tongue. He respected Inuyasha and really had no idea why he was still mean to him, after al he loved him like one would love a brother.

"It is nothing you need to be concerned about Inuyasha," he settled with. He was impressed; he had done a good job in his absence and earned himself yet more respect. Not only had he been forced to abandon his army and come back to the Western fortress to take care of matters here in case Sesshoumaru was away for longer than expected, but he had done a wonderful job as Daiyoukai of the West as well. "I just had some business to attend to. Inuyasha blinked, his only show of surprise at such a cordial reply, and all he did was grin and nod his acceptance of the subtle thank you, Sesshoumaru was always respectful and polite when he wanted to thank him.

"And has the business been attended to?" Asked a new voice from the doorway and he looked in time to see a certain spider youkai enter the room. Akito did not look at him at first and instead bowed to his brother in greeting, "Inuyasha sama," he nodded back. So the half breed had one respect from his staff, even the not so cold Akito. He met the still smouldering eyes of Akito levelly and nodded once, thanking him with his eyes for keeping the details of why he left the palace so suddenly to himself. "Yes, the business has indeed been attended to, and I can ensure you with certainty the problem will not recur."

Inuyasha saw the two of them wanted to talk and left the room stating he would be travelling back to his army the next morning. Akito watched him leave the room, waiting until the door slammed and Inuyasha was a few paces down the corridor before he next spoke. "That is good to hear," Akito said with a nod, some of the death leaving his glare, it was obvious he had not forgiven him. "Be sure that such a display does not happen again." Sesshoumaru noticed for the first time that he had his ward, and hopefully mate to be Kagome in his arms.

"Listen Akito, I am so sorry for what I did and for running for such a long time, I should have come back four days after I left once hr heat passed." He hung his head in shame, this was a big failure in his book, and h was not sure how to fix it. Akito sensed his sincerity, and holding Kagome to his chest with one arm, touched the shoulder of his friend in a way that said, 'be strong'. It was then that Sesshoumaru knew he had been forgiven and he had his friend back. He was happy with that; it meant he was one step closer to fixing the mess he had created, the next steps would be a whole lot easier with his friend by his side, most situations usually were.

"I am not the one you really need to be apologising too," Akito said in a low voice, serious but reassuring. "You angered me, that is for sure, because Kagome is pure of heart and innocent, and it surprised me too, rape is above you. It was so much worse for Kagome, you terrified her, I am not sure she knew what you almost did, she was too occupied with feeling surprised by being knocked down the way she was and your red eyes. You traumatised her, she is the one who needs you to apologise to her, I suggest you do so as soon as possible."

"Will it be enough?"

"For her? Or for you? Only you can answer that."

"I will get down on my knees for her."

"She cried for the rest of the day, jumping at every little sound, not eating or sleeping properly for the rest of the week. She has calmed down now, started taking care of herself again, but one thing you should know, she has regained her fear of sleeping alone. Inuyasha and I have been taking it in turns while you have been gone."

He simply nodded in response and looked to the ground. "It's your turn now," the spider stated before dumping the sleeping child in his arms, turning around and walking off.

"Wait! I am the one she is scared of," he called back after him, not wanting to be faced with her, not even when she is asleep.

He did not listen or turn back around. It was going to be a long night.


	28. Loneliness

**I am sorry I took so long! I really have no excuse! Please REVIEW you wonderful people. Again a little OOC, but Kagome has changed him by this point in the story anywho.**

**Chapter 28 - Loneliness**

Sesshoumaru lay in bed with his eyes wide open, taking deep breaths to stop him from panicking. He had to do this, to run away would be cowardly, but he wanted to. He wanted to flee the room never to return and forget the whole business, pretending it never happened, but it seemed that was not an option. If you ignore a problem, deciding not to bother to deal with it, putting it off then as you can probably guess the problem is never resolved. Running away from a problem is even worse, it is like running away from a predator as is the fight or plight mechanism in most living things, and if you do that, everyone knows it chases after you.

He had actually woken a couple of hours ago, he always woke up at the crack of dawn, and Daiyoukai after all do not need much sleep. However that was not even the reason he went to bed last night, if he had his way he would not have retired to bed at all. In fact he would have probably dumped the reason he was frightened into the arms of a certain spider and ran back to Keade. She would be disapproving of his actions he was sure of it and had learnt a day ago when she kicked him out that he was not to return until he had at least tried to right things with the only being he really loved. He had learnt that he good friend not only had a sharp tongue but was not afraid to use it, even to a Daiyoukai such as him.

Running away to her was not an option, and he hated it when he did not have his way. So he grit his teeth and sat up with his young charge still in his arms. In her sleep she had snuggled up to him, obviously believing he was either Akito or Inuyasha, her sleeping companions up until this night. One hand was clutching his haori while the other one had grasped a handful of his silver hair – strange. It was mid morning when she started to stir, human did have ridiculously long sleeps, and she opened her midnight blue eyes. It was then he was rocketed through time momentarily as he was caught up in the memory of their first meeting.

What had awoken him from his slumber initially had been her scent, like wild berries and rain, her human scent changed all the time, he had not known a human's scent could do that, not drastically so he could not find her, but enough. He had not bothered to learn much about humans, dismissing them for a lower being than he and not worthy of his attention. His new ward later proved how wrong and egotistical he was being. After all if he had not met Kagome then he would not have met brave humans such as Kohaku, or kind beings like Keade. Every moment he realized just how much he owed her, she had changed him for the better.

He had not known it was her scent that awoke him then; he only figured that out later. The second thing that brought him back from unconsciousness to the land of the awake and the living was the feeling of being groomed. He purred at the feelings of his hair being combed and had dismissed that in order for him being able to feel this, someone must be doing it to him. That was when sense and reality slammed into him and he opened his eyes to fall upon the small form of the little human who was tending to him.

His surprise was outweighed by embarrassment and that was why he lashed out. Truthfully he had no intentions of hurting the child; he would never lower himself to such a level. He just felt so humiliated at being caught in such a vulnerable position by her, a human and so deduced to scare her into silence about the whole ordeal. No one must ever know he could be beaten, even when it was because of an ambush by hundreds of demons. He thanked the Kamis that it was a mere child who had found him like that and not a slayer.

He was humiliated yet again later when he realized he owed the girl his life. Nothing means more to a Daiyoukai than honour and that was why he brought her that kimono. While he had had every intention of adopting her as soon as he realized how pure of heart she was, it was that night when they danced he realized that he had developed an infatuation with her. That was why he had kidnapped her, for she had been unwilling after all. Paying the village may have been a step too far, for had he been any less honourable he could have taken her or sold her on, made her do everything he wanted, she belonged to him.

Over time he grew to love her, in many different ways and she had grown to respect and trust him. Then, he had betrayed that trust in the most brutal way he could have, leaving it up to Akito to save her and heal her. Then to make matters worse he had run away, true he had been cast out by his friend, but he had stayed away. And now here she was once again lying in his arms, staring up at him, fear and confusion in her eyes. This was not the first time he would be begging for her forgiveness; he had had to do it when he overreacted with Kohaku, only this time it would take a lot more to regain her favour.

He could not rely on a massive dragon to appear so he could save her from it. This time it would be truly just down to him to solve this mess, and what a supreme mess it was. He counted to three and right on cue she gave a little 'eep' and wriggled out his arm and jumped out of bed. They were in his bedchamber; her bed was simply not large enough for the both of them. He did not stop her, he wanted to explain things to her, but she gave him no chance to do so. As soon as she saw him open his mouth to start to explain she held up her hand to halt him.

Respecting her wished he had closed it again and with fear and tears in her eyes she had fled the room. He had not seen her again for the rest of the day, he had looked for her, checking her room, the gardens which she loved, and he even resulted to smelling her out. It had turned out she had learnt how to mask her scent. He had found her eventually hiding in the corner of kitchens where her scent was covered anyway, with Packo comforting her. He had decided against confronting her, he was gad though that the cook had made her eat something since she had decided against joining him and his brother for meals.

The battle squad it turned out had not needed their leader back, and he had returned to aid his elder brother in running the kingdom. On the subject of Inuyasha, things were a lot more hostile between the dog brothers than usual. While they had stopped fighting, Sesshoumaru respected him and had grown too much affection for him to still have the will to do that, they did not talk anymore. Sesshoumaru avoided the hanyou's very gaze, and Inuyasha was not a fool, he quickly realized that something had transpired to make Sesshoumaru leave, requiring his presence at the castle as Lord, and he bet it had something to do with Kagome.

Inuyasha had known better than to question his Lord on why Kagome kept her distance from him. He surmised he must have frightened her or hurt her, seeming as Akito, who obviously knew more than he did refused to give him more information. He was not heartless enough to question Kagome on a subject that obviously gave her distress either. He settled for losing respect in his brother for hurting his young friend and refused to look at him even after Sesshoumaru had stopped refusing his eyes. Seeming as Sesshoumaru was obviously being punished for something he decided to only return to normal once Akito and Kagome had.

The girl talked to the half breed and Akito happily and the spider, and after learning how dreadfully the first morning of her waking up to her father figure had gone, the dancer agreed it had been a bad idea. She now continued to sleep with him or Inuyasha with Inushasta between them for extra protection or comfort. Akito had still not fully forgiven him and refused to share sake with him in the evenings and when Kagome was with him or Sakura refused to let him close. He knew of all of the little girl's hiding places and did not let him know the whereabouts of any of them. Sesshoumaru was feeling awfully... alone.

It took an entire week before Kagome stopped ensuring she was around another person, namely Akito or Inuyasha at all times even for something as mundane as walking down a corridor. She slept by herself bar her toy dog and smile had returned to her face. He knew this when he looked at her in secret, she was not ready to even see him yet. It took a further five days for her to not run away if they should chance upon one another on a staircase or along a corridor. She still did not look up at him, not even in pain or anger or fear, she did not feel it though, and she just did not want to meet his eyes, Sesshoumaru counted this as progress.

Another three days later she joined him and his brother for meals and stopped trying to avoid him. Akito started to talk to him again although they were short and fleeting; Inuyasha still refused to speak to him pleasantly, but started to meet his eyes once more. Sesshoumaru was still feeling awfully alone – he continued to wait, patience after all was the key, Keade had said. One week more and she said he wanted to visit her village, she did not say 'go home' like he had feared she would, she wanted to visit her village. He had agreed, he had not right to say 'no' to her, he had declined to accompany her however, sending both Akito and Inuyasha in his place.

The week she wished to spend there had passed quicker than he had expected it to. In no time at all the trio returned and Inuyasha and Akito were in his study straight away ready to tell him all about what had transpired in the village while he stayed here. She had spent time with her family, and Keade and her friends, including the village boys though nothing intimate had transpired. Nothing about his visit to Keade had come up in discussion and neither had what his beast had attempted to do to her. This, he was pleased about; he did not need the village who had grown to trust and accept him to turn around and hate him.

Seeing her family had done her the world of good and he made a note that she should be allowed, encouraged even to visit her people more often. Although the matte concerning her almost rape had not been brought up in discussion, simply hugging her family once more and seeing the old miko and her friends had opened her up. She was smiling once more, and when she met him on the corridors she met his eyes and even gave him a smile. She still did not like to speak with him and their former relationship was not restored, but she was better than she was.

It had been a little over a month since he returned and he was getting impatient. He understood she was young and it was going to take a long time for her to heal, it was the price he had to pay for such a mistake. But he loved her so much and he needed her to love him again, to trust him and she needed to understand that he was never going to hurt her once more. Her next heat had come and passed and in fear he had locked himself in his rooms, but by the end of the day he had realized his beast had not even raised its head, let alone break free. She was safe and so he was he from now on, he was still feeling so desperately alone.

Now that she allowed him near, spoke to him and met his eyes he decided it was time for him to usher along the reparations to their relationship. He had not yet apologised to her, only been extra careful to give her all the space she needed. He decided to do it at dinner when there were witnesses, it was extra humiliation for him, but any amount of torture on his part was worth it if he got his daughter and hopefully future mate back. She knew him better now and hopefully she would see what a blow to his pride it was to do such an action for her.

After the dinner had been cleared away Sesshoumaru got to his feet ignoring the questioning glances from Inuyasha and Akito and Sakura who now joined them. He usually dismissed them before leaving himself, but he was not leaving, he turned to Kagome who was obediently sitting to his left today instead of hiding at the other end of the table, he counted this too as progress. It was the perfect time to make his formal apology. He could not believe he was actually doing something like this, Inuyasha and Akito were sure to never let him live it down.

Wasting no more time, giving him no chance to chicken out he got to his knees in front of his ward and grasped her hand in both of his and buried his face into it, hiding his blush. "Kagome, I, Sesshoumaru Taisho, Taiyoukai of the Western Lands gives you his formal apology for the actions of this one's beast a month and a half ago. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me and I promise you that such occurrences will never happen again. I regret what happened with everything in my being and I am sorry, so, so sorry for what I did and the impact it had on you." He stopped there, had he talked for any longer he may have leaked cues to Sakura and Inuyasha about what exactly he was apologising for.

Kagome blinked at him owlishly for almost a whole minute and Sesshoumaru feared she was not going to give him an answer. He did not get up; he stayed where he was grovelling on the floor and made sure not to move until she said that he could. He lifted his head and his eyes bore into hers for another minute, she did not immediately look away, Sesshoumaru counted this as a good omen. Then Kagome let out along sigh and her gaze went from his head to the floor. "You really scared me you know," she said quietly and her quiet tone let him know that despite Akito's words she knew _exactly _what he had almost done.

"I know I did," he replied, amber eyes saddening, "and it will never happen again," he promised. "A Daiyoukai never breaks his word, you know what I say is true. I am truly sorry for frightening you and I know it must have been terrifying. I am just glad Akito was there, and you were awfully brave as well. I promise to protect you, from me as well if need be, you will never be hurt again, I will ensure it, I promise you that. Please find it in your heart to forgive me," he grovelled, not used to such a display of subservience and not liking it one bit either, he was choking on his own words, but they were still heartfelt, he needed her to listen and accept him.

"You hurt me," she continued, and she meant that, he understood and agreed that he had hurt her, not just physically but emotionally as well. He had not scarred her permanently, but it had taken a long time for her to just be able to look into his eyes again. He did not feel the need to reply, all he could have said was 'I know' and 'I promise to never hurt you again'. She knew that though so there was no point in saying it, and he had already promised to protect her and nothing of the sort would transpire a second time, and all who knew him were well aware that he hated to repeat himself for any reason at all. He pleaded with his eyes for her to forgive him... _please... please... _his beast was whimpering too, begging her.

She stood and shook her hand free of him. "I hear what you are saying," she started and he knew immediately that she was not ready, "and I believe you." She took a step back away from him, yet she still faced him, "but I am not quite ready to put the incident behind me." Her eyes which had been meeting his while she spoke fell back to the floor. "I want to forgive you and I accept your apology, and I realize what you are feeling too, but I just don't have the courage to move on. I am sorry too Sesshoumaru, but not yet, I am not ready yet." She turned around and ran out of the room, leaving him kneeling on the floor, dejected and hurt.

It took another two weeks before he recovered from her dejection. He was lying awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling when suddenly there was a knock on his door. Not even bothering to smell who it was he bid them to enter and to his surprise it was Kagome who came in. She had a small smile on her face and seemed a little nervous, she had come to ask him something, he could tell. After a minute had passed and she had still not made a noise he sighed and sat up, gesturing for her to sit on the bed beside him.

Once situated by his side she leant against his shoulder and he was surprised and happy by the show of affection. "Sesshoumaru, I was wondering if I could ask you something," she began, and took a breather; he waited for her to continue. "I have been thinking recently about you, and me, and us, all the time we have spent together. I thought about us talking in the evenings, sleeping safely in your arms, you saving my life. I love you, I always have, and I am glad you are in my life, and so, this is why I need you to agree to this. I forgive you for what you did, I think I did so some time ago now but only just realized it now."

She reached out with her hand and grasped one of his in both of hers. "So if our relationship, what we once had can be salvaged in any way, I want that to happen. If it can be saved and restored to what it once was, let us do so." She buried her face into his chest and shocked Sesshoumaru could do no more than wrap his arms around her. They slept encased in each other's arms that night; finally back to what they once were. Sesshoumaru came to the conclusion that two months was not a bad time at all to forgive something such as that.


	29. It has been decided

**Big plot development in this one – hope you all like – REVIEW!**

**Chapter 29 – It has been decided**

The party was fast approaching; people would be arriving any minute. Kagome sat to the right of Sesshoumaru as his ward, or pup as he called her, Inuyasha sat to his left as his beta. Akito had been required to be present for the meeting too and he sat to Kagome's side. His presence was required partly because he had had a large part to play in organizing the whole blasted thing, and partly because he was Sesshoumaru's good friend. The main reason though was because the girl refused to leave his side, still slightly apprehensive of the man she was required to call 'father', she had not left his side for a second since the incident.

Right now as they sat in the great hall awaiting their guests, she held onto the spider's thin hand and did not show any signs of even intending to let go. The usually cold and closed off dancer showed objection to this and when her hand tightened over his at the arrival of the first guests, he gave the small appendage a slight reassuring squeeze. Akito wondered whether their relationship would have developed into what it was now even if she had not gained his respect in that way as quickly as she had. He thought yes, after all, she was a good dancer despite being human and a child, and she was so pure and innocent and warm, he allowed himself to smile inwardly, it was impossible to not love the little child at his side.

The introductions were dull, but on the bright side they were easy. All she had to do was nod her head respectfully when they had been introduced. Because she was a human she did not usually get a reply, but the cardinal Lords and ladies, the ones of the highest status would nod back and smile at her. The more minor Lords that came saw her beneath them, which was strange, seeming as the meeting had been postponed it had been combined with the meeting with the lower Lords as well, which meant the whole visit would last longer – weeks.

The feast was trying to say the least, it was not that the food was not nice; Packo and his team were excellent cooks. She had something unique from the others seeming as she could not hold raw meat in her stomach like the others could. The main problem was that there was just so much food; she could not possibly eat it all like everyone else was able to. It was polite to eat all you were offered, but watching the youkai around her eat meat which was actually still bleeding depleted her appetite majorly and even made her feel a little queasy.

The dancing after the dinner was a different matter entirely. Far from being apprehensive or nervous about the ball, she was excited, and wanted to show off her hard training with Akito on the dance floor. Her excitement slowly faded as she sat down at the side of the hall, waiting for someone to dance with her. Sesshoumaru was required to entertain the ladies of the Lands, those who were and were not mated being the host. Akito as a dance partner despite his cold demeanour was also a popular choice because of his skill; she did not know anyone else. She was just a human, who would want to be seen entertaining her?

So she sat there watching the dance, afraid she was going to be a wallflower, waiting for Sesshoumaru to ask her to dance, or even for Inuyasha who had to be entertaining the female guests to ask her. The suddenly she saw a demon make his way over to her, it was a young what looked to be a snake demon judging by the colourful scales on his body and those silvery eyes. he was handsome, and young, only, physically a few years older than her though in actuality he was probably her senior by several decades. She could barely believe her luck, a handsome young demon was making his way over to her!

A small smile settled around his lips and she felt herself return it without consciously putting the expression on her face. This was so exciting, she was going to be able to dance with everyone else, and it would not be with those who were her friends, but with a guest! She straightened the beautiful white kimono she was wearing and prayed to the Kamis that she would not make a fool out of herself and dishonour Sesshoumaru and the Western house. She was not beautiful like the other youkai here, or as smart or as simply wonderful, not eye catching at all, and still this boy wanted to dance with her, she felt honoured.

"Good evening," he said with a bow while Kagome started to hyperventilate and forced herself not to feel flustered. He was meant to bow, this was customary, and she was meant to curtsey, so forcing herself to get to her feet she places one foot behind the other and spread the skirts of her kimono so it swept the ground when she curtseyed. "I am Riko, third son of Lord Haru of the Southern Lands, and I dare say that it is an upmost pleasure to meet you. Does the lovely celestial maiden before me have a name?"

His flattery caught her off guard and once again she had to remind herself that such small talk was also customary. She fought down the blush to answer, "my name is Kagome Higurashi, adopted ward of Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands," she replied mimicking his speech, not entirely sure why. "I would be honoured to dance with you, Riko sama, and I think that not only do you look spectacular, you are quite charming too." And she told no lie, from his sparkling eyes and posh suit; down to every last syllable in the words he spoke he was charming.

She wondered whether one day she would mate someone in the demon court other than Kohaku or Hojo, it was definite possibility if they were all as charming as Riko, not to mention Sesshoumaru would probably prefer for her to be with a demon rather than a human. Not that she cared about his opinion all that much or anything, but just saying, she was probably right. He held his hands to his lips and with a smirk on his face placed a kiss on the back of it. Her face immediately started to burn, however upper class this gathering was, that was not mandatory.

The dance passed too quickly and although her feet were sore and her legs ached, in her mind it seemed like only seconds had passed since she was sitting on the chair at the side of the hall being a wallflower. Three songs had worn her out and he took her hand and led her to the kitchens at the front of the hall to get a drink. Not much happened then, they talked and laughed, shared stories, Kagome was selective about what she chose to talk about; her partner did not seem too much care. After a little while he was called away by his father to entertain some female demons and she was left alone again, but she was happy. "I hope to see you again soon Kagome," he said before leaving with a smile which she returned full heartedly.

She had done well on the dance floor, though she had had a good partner and she had proven she could dance. Exhilarated and wanting more she only had to wait a few minutes before another young noble came striding towards her. He looked a lot like a spider youkai, like Akito was, only slightly younger and stronger, there was more to him. He had a small smile on his face as he approached and Kagome could only begin to imagine how good a dancer he was if Akito's skills were anything to go by. She wanted to jump and run into his arms and drag him to the dance floor, it was so exciting, but she forced herself to remain calm and in her seat, looking somewhat serene. She did not want to embarrass Sesshoumaru by acting like a child.

He was about two steps away from her when someone grabbed her arm and twirled her up from her seat and away from him. "Let me have this dance," a voice rasped, he spoke quietly and quickly, she did not quite catch who it was that spoke. She was dragged to the dance floor and spun around a few times before she managed to see who it was that was holding her. "Akito," she said surprised, she was not exactly disappointed, she wanted to dance with him, but she had been dancing with him for months, although this was different from a lesson. "That spider boy was about to ask me to dance with him I think, he looks rather put out."

She glanced at her would be partner who tried not to look annoyed as he watched her bye spun around by him. "He can have the next dance," he assured her, "but I could not leave this evening without seeing how well you do when not in a lesson. "That boy is a distant relation of mine; he is the only son of a minor Lord in the Western Lands. He is known to be not all that fond of humans for reasons I doubt even he knows." The dance became more complicated but the moves came as naturally to her as they did to the professional dance instructor.

"I am impressed by your footwork," Akito commended, enjoying the stares they were receiving as much as Kagome was. As they danced, Kagome spotted Sesshoumaru dancing with a water elemental youkai, a beautiful woman with blue eyes, turquoise hair and a teardrop symbol on her forehead. They looked good as the danced together, Sesshoumaru smiled at his ward, the water youkai did not seem to like the attention deviate and pulled his face back to her, to her surprise, Sesshoumaru did not reprimand her for such an act. Kagome's face fell, she knew she had no authority over who Sesshoumaru wanted to mate, but she wished that he did not eventually choose someone obnoxious like that.

"Do you remember what happened on the day you won my respect?" Akito asked her, distracting her from the rather upsetting scene. She merely nodded, a small smile coming to her face at the memory, how could she forget? The song was coming to a close and the other spider youkai was already walking towards them for his turn, not wanting to be put out again. "I suggest you keep what you did in your mind," he told her. "The next song is not as complicated, so if he chooses to humiliate you, it should be easier to turn around. I am not saying it will definitely happen but you have to watch out for him, just in case."

He let go of her and she was literally spun into the waiting spider's arms. Once he steadied her he smiled and bowed, customary, and she curtseyed in response. The song was slow, but he made the dance they had as complicated as he possibly could without making it look out of place. He was a good male lead and Kagome got to thinking that he was the perfect gentleman. He did not talk to her, but maybe he simply did not have anything to say, as he dipped her and spun in circles. His hands were secure on her waist as her arms wrapped around his neck, maybe all youkai had dancing lessons – they were certainly all good.

As they danced she started to laugh with the enjoyment and that was when she caught Akito giving her a hard stare whilst in the arms of another female. She gave a sigh, she loved her teacher, she really did and could not help but obey all of his wishes, whatever they may be. She blinked in response which softened his glare plenty; she would not let her guard down for him. Akito, like always was right of course, he knew his own kin well and knew everything there was about dancing, including formal balls such as this one. As preposterous as it seemed to her, she still tightened her grip on the young spider demon holding her, and watched his eyes, the eyes never lied, if there was intent, she would see it in his eyes.

It came not a moment later when he tripped her up, catching his legs in the process. Quickly she let go of him and jumped away and he ended up on staring at the ceiling flat on his back. He was dazed for a moment trying to work out what went wrong until he heard the girl pleasantly enquiring whether he was alright. She offered him a hand up but he got to his feet unaided and just stood there staring at her in approval. He liked her, she was able to outsmart him, that was good, for a human that it, no, for a demon too.

He took her hand in his the smile he gave her was genuine, and then all of a sudden he gave a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be right back," he promised and made his way through crowding demons, presumably looking for something, or getting refreshments. In actuality, though Kagome did not know this, he was trying to find Sesshoumaru. He had to wait several minutes to catch him before another lady forced him to dance with her or some pushy male forced him to dance with his daughter. "Lord Sesshoumaru," he said in a loud voice, stepping forward, successfully getting his attention. The demon Lord was glad for the break and willingly gave him his full focus, not wanting to be drawn into another dance.

The spider bowed low, "it is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance," he said, receiving as a respectful nod in return. "I have just had the pleasure of dancing with your ward Kagome, and may I say she makes the most wonderful dance partner. You must be proud of her skills, to be so knowledgeable already and she cannot have been training for more than a couple of years, you have not known her all that long as I hear after all." He had a risky request coming next and with a demon with a temper like Sesshoumaru's he knew that going in with flattery around a crowd of spectators was a sure way not to get his head cut off.

"I wish to ask for your permission to court Lady Kagome," he said eventually cutting to the chase. He stared into the demon Lord's eyes as he said it, and made sure his voice did not waver no matter how threatening the Western Lord was. Sesshoumaru did not react immediately and stared down at him with that impassive mask on his face. He did not make reply, but the arachnid knew better than to say something stupid like 'did you hear me', or repeat himself. The Lord had been known to punish such acts of idiocy before, and he wanted to make a good impression so all he did was continue to stare up at him and wait for him to speak.

Sesshoumaru was in turmoil, he knew that he really did not have the right to turn down the spider's request; after all he had said 'court' and not 'mate'. He wanted the choice to be Kagome's which showed he respected her and had honour, which alone made him a worthy candidate. By the way he held his eyes and voice showed he really liked her as well and was not in it for the money or social status he would gain out of it. Moreover he wanted Kagome to marry someone she liked and if she grew close to him in courting then so be it. He could pretend his status was not high enough but then neither had Kohaku or Hojo's social status and he had been forced to consider them. That was really not the problem here and he knew it.

"I'm afraid I am going to have to decline your wish," he said carefully, slowly, coming to an inside agreement. He saw him about to open his mouth to protest and ask why and Sesshoumaru lifted his hand up to halt him. "It has already been decided by this one that she will become the Lady of the Western Lands in time," he announced regally. He left him staring after him in shock and engulfed himself back into the party going on around him. He knew better than to repeat this information but... wow – that was so unexpected.

The way he said it made it clear Kagome was yet to know; maybe he was going to wait a few years before posing the question, after all she was only 12 years old at the moment. What if she did not feel the same way and could only ever view him as a father figure? What then? Will he relinquish her? It was obvious young Kagome had changed the previous Lord Icicle, he was more approachable if just as terrifying but he still felt a little sorry for her. Inus were incredibly possessive and intent on getting what they wants, if she declined then she was in for a chase as he pursued her, and once he had her he was not letting her go, not out of his sight for a second.

Good luck girl.


	30. Findings

**Dear Anonymous – uh thanks for that review I guess, maybe, sorta... actually...  
>well, you are right I do have no knowledge about Japanese customs and kimonos and barely know about honorifics like-san and –chan and -kun, but most reading this come from America or Britain like me, so are just as clueless.<strong>

**sorry it is a short one.**

**Anywho! Here is the next chappie, kind of filler like and she is 13 years old now!**

**Chapter 30 - Findings**

Kagome stood facing a tree, pressed into the bark with her hands over her eyes. "1... 2... 3..." she started counting, slowly so as not to be accused of cheating. "4... 5... 6..." she could not believe she was finally being allowed to play this game. "7... 8... 9..." She had played it with Souta and Kikyou when she was a young child and with Erie and Yuka, Hojo and Kohaku on her now regular visits to her old village, but she had been dying to have a chance here. "10... 11... 12..." the gardens were a perfect place with so many brilliant places, the castle itself was good too, but it was too large and the game would take absolutely forever.

"13... 14... 15..." Sakura she knew would have accepted straight away, which she did. The young horse youkai was a kind creature, compassionate, soft if a little shy and loved her. Ever since she had started teaching her Kagome had loved her and the feeling was mutual. "16... 17... 18..." She had a one sided crush on Akito too which was cute, but awfully surprising. He had gotten a lot better since meeting Kagome but was still kind of cold, maybe if something subtle was said to the arachnid. "19... 20... 21..." Akito was playing too, another surprise, but like she had said he had gotten better since meeting her and she had done him proud at the dance with the meet between all the Lords so she was now permanently in his good books.

"22... 23... 24..." the most surprising thing was that Sesshoumaru had decided to play as well. She would never have put him down as playful, but he was a dog, and they were playful creatures by nature. "25... 26... 27..." Seeming as she was a human she had told the other players they could not go further than the gardens and she was sure they were going to give themselves a handicap such as leave part of them showing to give her chance. "28... 29... 30..." Inuyasha had agreed not that long ago, intercepting them on the way to the gardens and asking them if he could join in, he must have heard what she had requested.

Sesshoumaru had been more than willing for his little brother to take part in the game and Kagome had to wonder whether there would be sibling rivalry present throughout. "31... 32... 33..." She had found out too that he had hoped he would take his place in the game so the Lord could back to his study or the dojo to do more Lordly things. She sympathised with that, if she was in his position she would not want to be caught doing such a thing even with her daughter. "34... 35... 36..." But everyone has to unwind sometime, even Lord Sesshoumaru, and a game is a great way of doing that. "37... 38... 39... 40!" She finished with a shout; she uncovered her eyes and turned around, "ready or not, here I come!" She called out, she masked her aura and scent so she could not be detected coming a mile off and set off.

Sakura turned out to be hiding up a long tree, but unknown to her, that horse tail of hers had been hanging down like a vine. The rest of her body was perfectly camouflaged up there with the leaves and the twigs for some reason. Kagome had no idea whether this was by accident or on purpose to make the game easier for her but with one hard yank her whole body came tumbling down to the ground. She gave a startled cry as she fell to the ground but it sounded like a cry of pain and fear and this alerted Akito who came running.

He looked annoyed once he realized nothing was wrong but it got him found as well. Now all who was left was Sesshoumaru, but Akito and Sakura were here to help her find him. It took a solid hour but eventually she saw silver hair poking out from inside a bush. She dove in, but to her dismay she found no Sesshoumaru attached to it or Inuyasha. Akito and Sakura were getting bored and they offered to track the auras or scents but Kagome refused. She was the designated seeker so she would seek and they could not use their demonic powers to help them that would be cheating, they could only look where told to.

Then suddenly she heard hushed voices belonging to familiar dogs, so they were hiding in the same place, not very imaginative really, behind the boulders by the Kio pond, but it took a long time to find them. She was about to jump out and surprise them but happened to hear what they were talking about and stayed around to listen seeming as she was the main topic. She was not usually one for eavesdropping, but if she thought about hit hard she could pass it off as hearing rather than listening. She cast a moment to think it weird that it was now she the seeker was the one not wanting to be caught by them the hiders.

"Sesshoumaru I really do not care how true your feelings are," it was Inuyasha speaking first, "you cannot just say something like that in the middle of a formal gathering. You are lucky no one else heard you otherwise all hell could have broken loose. You are lucky he is a smart lad who knows when to keep his mouth shut, but what were you thinking? You could have just declined without a reason, he would not have pressed it if he knew what was good for him do you had no reason to explain yourself, it is a risky ting to do."

"I hardly see how it matters at all, I love her."

He had a short growly of frustration, "I have now received letters telling you that you need to start looking for a mate soon and I answered them with the fact that you have a female in mind, which is the truth. But now I have started to receive letters asking you to make your courting more public, more obvious, they want to meet the demon you have chosen. It is going to become public very soon that you wish to mate not only a human child, who happens to be a miko, but one of no status, who you took in as your ward."

"Do not disrespect her Inuyasha, she is your future queen."

"You know I mean no disrespect, but this is what everyone will be thinking about this decision of yours Sesshoumaru, can't you let her go?"

"No, once a Daiyoukai imprints on who it is they wish to take as a mate no one else will ever do, I want no one else, and I will never desire or take another."

Kagome froze. She was so shocked she dropped her scent and the shield masking her aura and both silver head immediately turned to her and she was fixed by four amber eyes. There was a standoff of silence, neither daring to break it or move, not that didn't want to. Sesshoumaru had been caught once again in a position he wanted to none to see him in, once again Inuyasha had talked too much and knew Sesshoumaru was going to make sure it came back to him in some way. As for Kagome, she was reminded of how she felt when she saw what she thought was his dead body; she wanted to cry and be sick and run away.

Yet when she saw him in that pitiful position she had done none of those, she did not run, she did not cry and she was not sick. It was a good thing she didn't run really because she was given the chance of a lifetime and she got to meet Sesshoumaru. Living with him had been hard to start with but she met Inuyasha again and made great new friends like Akito and Sakura and Packo. She could safely say that living with Lord Sesshoumaru was good for her, and it was good for him too. He may not have wanted any of the changes in him, but they were for the best and he was still every inch the Lord and courageous feared warrior he always was.

"How long?" She asked in a whisper, stepping forward, like last time, moving forward instead of turning around and running away. Like she had always said, you never find answers by going back; it is moving forwards you find the doors to so many opportunities and choices. She took another step and by the this point the Inus had come out of their shocked stupor brought on by being caught and it was matched by Sesshoumaru, they were practically next to each other now. There was no turning back or running away. So he had decided to face her but he was yet to give her an answer so she asked him again, "how long?"

"Some time now," Sesshoumaru admitted, refusing to meet her eyes, well at least he had the decency to be slightly flustered about it. He was about to leave it at that but Inuyasha put his hand on his elder brother's shoulder and just said "no." He narrowed his eyes angrily, "if you love her like you say you do then give her more respect than that Sesshoumaru. This has come as an awful shock to her and she needs an answer to that question so don't you be your egotistical self and play the 'I don't have to explain myself to you' card, do the decent thing and give her an answer. Just tell her the truth; it has to come out some time."

For the first time Sesshoumaru decided to blindly obey his younger brother instead of rebuke him for giving him an order. "Since we first visited your village, and I defeated Ryuukotsusei, ever since then, when I spoke to your father."

"Is that why you overreacted with Kohaku?"

"Hn," he nodded. The silence dragged on until h couldn't stand it anymore and he blurted out his question, "well?"

"Well what?" She asked.

"What is your answer?"

"OH! Right yes. Found you Sesshoumaru! Inuyasha!" She called loudly, causing Akito and Sakura to come running too. "Sakura's next to count!"

She did not bring up what she had encountered that day until nightfall when she timidly knocked on his bedroom door. He granted her access immediately and they both sat on his bed, Sesshoumaru waited for her to say what she wanted. "I was thinking about earlier today and I wanted to say that I love you too, and I don't mind us... you know... being together." She leant against him, "but we just have to wait about three years or so, until I'm comfortable with it." She looked up into amber eyes, widened with shock, but she was pleased to see they had not reddened like last time. She did not want a repeat of that traumatic and terrifying experience.

"Do you mind if I sleep here with you tonight?"

He shook his head and shuffled over, making room for her. He managed to stop himself from saying something stupid like "please do."

Things were quiet between them for a week after that. Kagome was too shy to bring up their changed relationship and Sesshoumaru didn't want to push his luck regarding the matter. However watching Akito and Sakura flirt with each other was grinding on him and he wanted her, his beast wanted her, and they wanted her now. When he kissed her goodnight that night he could not contain himself and ended up planting his lips on hers. There was a moment of silence again and Kami he hated the awkwardness of it until suddenly she exploded.

"Kami Sesshoumaru! What part of wait three years do you not understand?" of course one little kiss is not all that much but the last time he had been... intimate with her, it had not been the most gentle of confrontations.

Needless to say they spent that night in their own beds in their own rooms.


	31. moving on

**Sorry for the wait.  
>Another shorter chapter, sorry about that. The story is drawing to a close now, there is only one more chapter after this one. Enjoy and Review.<br>The last chapter is basically a lemon so skip if you want, this chapter is a closing chapter, the lemon is just an extra for us adults who like something saucy in our fics.**

**Chapter 31 – Moving on**

16 year old Kagome was riding on a certain giant white dog she had christened fluffy when the message came. Only Kagome could come up with such a derogatory name for his beast and live to tell the tale, he could never hurt her. The message came in form of a letter from her mother, Kikyou and her fiancé were to be married a week from now. She had forgotten about that, it had all been kept quiet in the village really when she came to visit, though she did not quite know why. Maybe it was because they did not want Sesshoumaru hearing about it and paying.

Sesshoumaru never particularly liked her, but he respected the village enough to privilege them with certain things like money, it meant nothing to him after all with the amount of it he had. It was such a shock, life was moving on the village, she started to feel left behind, if she had not healed Sesshoumaru that day then she would have been the first to hear about it. But it is not her home anymore, it was a place she visited, and her biological family were people she saw on occasion and now all of a sudden Kikyou was getting married. She knew it was coming for a while, she had been engaged since forever, but it came as a shock all the same.

It did not take much convincing to get Sesshoumaru to hightail it back to the village. While he was not overeager to see Kikyou or Hideo again, Keade was always a welcome companion. The wedding was glorious, and they brought her a new bow and a quiver full of fletched arrows, the finest in the land of course. Kikyou was all ready to move into her new mansion like home and while she had gone through a phase of wanting to attract the Daiyoukai she did love the minor Lord she was marrying and was intent on having a long and happy life with him.

During the party afterwards, Kohaku who was also fifteen took her aside, this time not so much to Sesshoumaru's chagrin to ask her some questions. He was incredibly handsome in a suit, she usually never saw him in anything other than slayer armour or common clothes. The riches given to him by Sesshoumaru however had allowed him to buy such luxuries. "Kagome, I am not good with words so I'll tell you straight, I have been in love with you for a long time, ever since we first met in fact, do you reciprocate those feelings?" His face was set in this hardened expression, unlike his usual jovial one, a face he usually only wore when slaying or concentrating, letting Kagome know that he was being dead serious about his confession.

"Kohaku," she said, touched, "you never said anything. I have always loved you too Kohaku, but only as a dear friend, I am sorry." To her surprise however Kohaku let out a breath and he sounded not disheartened but more like relieved. "You don't sound upset," Kagome arched an eyebrow, confused, "for some reason I was certain that the answer I gave you was the one you did not wish to receive." She quickly added hurriedly, "not that I want you to be hurt or anything, it is just your words gave me the impression you were hoping I'd say yes."

"It is true that if I'd posed the question to you a couple of years ago, and you said no then I would have broken down. It is different now, not only are we adults, but we have branched out and met new people, so things and feelings change. I am guessing that the one you love, and the one who loves you is Sesshoumaru." He, along with the rest of the village, although not the slayer village, had been given the privilege to drop the honorific of -sama. "Eighteen months ago, I too met someone different, a young girl, three years younger than me, she looks a lot like you, and we became really good friends right away."

They sat down on top of Keade's hut like they used to when they were young so he could tell her the whole story. "She was lost and just happened to stumble into the slayer village, alone and injured, obviously abused. She wouldn't even talk for the first few weeks, of course we allowed her to stay, but I grew close to her, spending time with her, invited her to live with Sango and me, and eventually she opened up to me. She still does not talk all that much but she told me her name is Rin, she likes flowers, she is always making crowns out of them, and she gets scared easily."

"Do you love her?"

"I am pretty sure that I do now, I didn't at first, well I did, but as a friend, or a parental love, but now she is older and has matured and grown as a woman a lot. I saved her from a demon a couple of months ago and from that moment she has never left my side."

"You killed a demon to protect her!" Kagome gushed, "GO KOHAKU! Well done, I am so proud of you, that is so romantic!"

"It is not like that Kagome; I would have killed it anyway."

"That is not the point!"

"Well you know I usually don't like it when people are hanging off of me, but now whenever she is not nearby I feel as if something is missing. It is weird, because there was nothing wrong with my life before she entered it, but when she is away it just leaves such a big hole. I have come to the conclusion that I feel pain when she is away because I love her. And I needed to clear things with you because you are and always will be my first love, but I know now that we were just not meant to be, I hope you find happiness with that Daiyoukai."

"Thank you Kohaku," she leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on his lips which he returned, but she pulled away before it became deeper, "I hope the same for you." He gathered her up in his arms and jumped down to the ground before setting her on her feet. "If she accepts your proposal, which I am sure she will, you have got to notify me right away, and I want to meet the girl too. I am not missing your wedding for the world."

"I am not missing yours either."

"It will be a little while yet."

"You might want to go and talk to Hojo."

"Has he got similar news?"

"Identical."

"It can't be identical, I am not his first love."

He gave a look.

"Don't mess with me Kohaku, it is not funny."

"Why is it so hard to believe? You are a very beautiful young woman, you always have been, and you have had his heart for some time now. He always gave you presents and fought for your favour trying to gain your attention. Whenever you found yourself he was instantly there, I can't believe it has never crossed your mind before."

"I don't know, it just does not seem possible, he seems too... young. Does that sound weird coming from me seeming as he is older than I am."

Kohaku shrugged. "Girls mature faster than boys, and you became an adult when you turned ten, he is timid and subtle, but he loves you."

"So subtle I never had a hint at it, at least you tried to kiss me once. I am not his first love."

"Actually Kagome, you are, he has loved you for a long time too, he has just never worked up the courage to tell you straight and just figured you knew. Don't tell me you have never wondered why he and I have never been able to get along? You don't have to worry about it anymore now though I guess, make sure you wish him well. I am guessing Sesshoumaru will want to leave as soon as the party is over, so visit soon, Kagome."

It turned out Kohaku was right, Hojo eventually confessed to her and was also not upset about her telling him that they were not meant for each other. Ever since she had been kidnapped for the first time he had been heartbroken and sought solace in the arms of Erie. Neither of them had been looking for love, but love is one of those intangible things that you never actually go out to look for, but it always seems to find you nonetheless, usually in the most unexpected of places. It had been an entire year since she last saw her family for a proper visit, stayed long enough to question these things and find it out, everyone had moved on.

Even Souta was flirting with a girl called Hitomi, a girl he had loved ever since he was ten years old, but never worked up the courage to tell her. They were all marrying and moving on and she was... well she was not. Sesshoumaru asked her what the matter was on the way back to the Western castle and all she said was 'I want to move on too.' She stood on her tiptoes and reached up to timidly kiss him on the lips. He seemed to turn into a statue and she pulled away when he did not respond, surmising he did not want her.

He stared at her with wide eyes and then suddenly grabbed her shoulders and rammed his lips down upon hers forcefully. "Are you ready for me now, Kagome?" She nodded as she brought her arms up to wrap around his neck, pulling herself closer to his body. That was all the invitation he needed and he dropped out of her arms, suddenly he was on one knee in front of her, holding her left hand in both of his. "Miko Kagome, this Sesshoumaru, Lord of the West, wished for you to become his mate and rule beside him as queen, do you accept?"

She stared at him for a moment, assuring herself that this was real before doing the only thing a 16 year old girl could do in that situation. "YES!" She squealed before throwing herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and sending them both tumbling to the ground. "Yes, yes, yes, I accept!" She shouted a planted a kiss on his lips that he readily returned. "I love you, Sesshoumaru," She said in a calmer voice once she remembered what his hearing was like as a Daiyoukai. "I love you, and yes, I want to become your mate."

"I love you too, Kagome, I have always loved you."


	32. A couple of pure hearts

**SECOND WARNING: this chapter is nothing but a fluffy lemon. No under aged reader please, but I hope you all enjoy it. Any similarities noticed between this lemon and the one in like father like son is completely coincidental and not because I used it as a template.**

**Short again, but it is just a lemon, and at least I updated fast this time. So it is finally finished. I will be starting a story called 'what might happen in the past now' which is Sess/Souta – but not really, it is more like Sess/Souta – familial, Souta/Rin – familial/friendship/Romance, Souta/Kagome – Familial, Sess/Inuyasha – familial and a little romantic Sess/Kagome too.**

**I will also start a drabble story of Sess/Kag called 'Sketch pad' and maybe a drabble Inutaisho/Kagome story too.**

**Chapter 32 – A couple of pure hearts**

He carried her into the bedroom bridal style, Kagome did not even notice when they moved from the gardens. He laid her on the silken sheets gently and crawled over her, looking like the predator he was, locking his lips with hers. He looked dangerous hovering over her the way he was, and she loved him dearly, Kagome had to tell herself repeatedly that she wanted it, but the maiden within her was making her incredibly nervous. "If at any time you want me to stop," he whispered into her mouth, "please tell me." He shed his clothing in a matter of seconds, the cloth seeming to melt away from his body, and wasted no time in ridding her of her coverings too.

Once bare to each other he claimed her lips once more, holding himself over her with large muscled forearms. Once he was finished with her mouth he moved down, leaving a trail of tender kisses down the column of her throat. Kagome never thought she would react this way to a man's touch, it was not like anything she had ever felt before, and she arched into the feeling of his lips on her skin as he quite literally ravaged her. Three years ago she would never have pictured herself with Sesshoumaru in this way, three years ago she blushed at the slightest mention of anything sexual and now here she was, going all the way.

A moan escaped her lips as he started to suckle on a piece of skin. He made sure there would be a mark there when he lifted his mouth away to accompany the bite. He wanted to cover her body with those love marks, her throat, her stomach, her core, her thighs, to thoroughly bind her to him, and to show to all who came close she was not to be touched. But while he could do that were she a female demon he could not subject such treatment to a human, she would not heal as quickly. What is more, her pain tolerance is not as high, and the painful pleasure would weigh more strongly towards pain than the pleasure.

He gave the spot one last tender kiss before paying attention to her breasts. It was clear she was no child, she was fully grown and matured into a beautiful young woman and those luscious mounds were like a delicacy to him. He had watched her grow from a young child of innocence and purity, into this young woman, stunningly beautiful, and ready for him in the way he truly loved her. He licked the underside of each one and found that their weight was perfect against him. While he suckled and nipped at one breast, he massaged the other, holding his whole weight above her with the one hand on the mattress beneath them.

He gave a groan as she laced her fingers through his silver hair and pulled it as he buried himself in her bosom. She gave out a moan as his tongue flicked over the nipple and he did it again and again so she was letting out a continuous hiss of contentment as he pleasured her. She never knew it was possible to feel such bliss and the best/worst part was yet to come, she was scared about that, but he promised her he would not hurt her. This she had trouble believing this but the reason she was mated to him was because she trusted him.

His mouth moved lower, tongue lacing over her flat stomach, tickling her, before dipping lower once more towards her heated core. He littered the insides of her thighs with kisses and licks, starting at her knees and moving further up tantalizingly slowly. He was teasing her, she was sure of it, but she had never been with a male in this intimate way before, she had no idea what sex was like, or what it was meant to be like. Of course they had not actually moved onto the joining sexually yet, but they would come to it soon, there was no way she was leaving this bedroom until he was satisfied, he had told her that on the way here.

But he had said she could tell him to stop... but that was not going to happen. She could not remain his mate-to-be forever, and as his tongue reached her centre she was sure she _wanted _this too. She wanted it with him; she loved him, everything about him, all of his sides. She shivered in delight as she felt his tongue run across her closed lips before darting inside the folds to taste the interior. She let out a gasp and gripped his hair tighter, pulling him to her, trapping him there, she didn't want him to ever leave her and continue the bliss.

His tongue flicked over the bundle of nerves that brought her ultimate pleasure, as it happened she momentarily saw stars and breathed his name. He flicked his tongue over it again, harder and more forcefully, and she said his name slightly louder. In and out his tongue went and she had no idea it was possible for someone's tongue to do that to her, but this was the Lord of the West and he had wanted this with her for years. His tongue thrusting in and out of her tight centre made her feel so hot it was like she was burning up inside.

She felt that coil of heat building up in the pit of her stomach, becoming tighter and tighter as he carried on his ministrations. Then suddenly she came, a lot, her orgasm spilling over his face and soaking her thighs. She screamed his name as she climaxed, mind blanking for the moments it happened, "SESSHOUMARU!" He chuckled as it happened and kissed her centre many times in appreciation of her exclamation, seeming to take her scream as a compliment, typical of that Daiyoukai. He lapped up all of her precious nectar, savouring it, before withdrawing his tongue and moving it back up to her lips.

She tasted herself on his lips as he kissed her, exploring her mouth with his tongue, not missing one inch of the moist cavern, not one tooth. "You came a lot," he mentioned casually in a voice one would use to state the weather. She blushed a bright pink at the comment wondering whether this was something that a male would usually say to his mate during their first joining. She had never had an orgasm, triggered by another or herself before, and did not know what a suitable response would be, or if she was even meant to give one. "Well it's more than you have come tonight," she settled with, immediately realizing it was a mistake from his dark smile.

"My time will come little miko. You will have many more climaxes too, let's step it up shall we for the next couple of rounds?" It was strange hearing such things from him when he had been a father to her for so long. With those words he moved towards her nether regions again and with no warning slipped one finger into her entrance. She gasped at the intrusion but it was not at all an unpleasant feeling, it was strange and new though. When he was sure she had accustomed to his finger inside her he started pumping her slowly in and out.

She breathed his name as she started rocking her hips along with his movement. Then another finger joined the first and they did a scissor motion inside her, stretching her walls, preparing her for what was to come. A third finger followed shortly after the second and she could feel the knot building up inside her once more. He pumped her perhaps three times with all three fingers before her walls clenched around his fingers and she came again, once more screaming his name as she soaked his fingers with her juices.

The fingers disappeared without a word from him and she felt something hard and big positioned at her entrance. He nipped her ear, telling her to be ready for the stinging pain. He planned to move in slowly, allowing her to get accustomed to his size, and he did so until he reached her maiden barrier. He could not hold himself back any longer, pulled all the way out and with one powerful roll of his hips thrust into her. She cried out in shock and pain and he cursed himself for losing himself like that, he had not meant to hurt her.

He gave an apologising nip to her shoulder and licked the mark to say he was sorry for the loss of control. She nodded marginally in acceptance, but a single tear rolled down her cheek in the pain anyway. Guilt twisted in his heart, but he knew that she would have felt some level of pain anyway, and from now on it would just get better and better and all she would feel in pleasure – that was what mating was all about. To make up for the loss of control he stayed still inside her for a long time until she smiled at him, her permission for him to continue.

He rocked slowly, the thrusts slow and short, afraid to hurt her more, but she was still smiling. He picked up the pace, quickly he felt himself losing himself again, the thrusts becoming faster and more urgent as he raced towards his release. He bordered on the line of vicious but she did not seem to mind and eventually he came at the same time as her. He shot his seed deep within her as she coated his length in her nectar. They screamed each other's names into the night. Well, Kagome being the human she was, screamed, Sesshoumaru was a dog Taiyoukai and his scream of ecstasy was more like a howl of conquest.

She did not blame him for embracing his primal side like that, getting her this far had taken time, he had waited years. She grew sleepy and laid down next to him, tucking into his chest and he wrapped an arm around her. Relaxing against her he closed his eyes for sleep before feeling something furry tickling his leg. He moved his leg ignoring it, but it was there too, aggravating him. Being careful not to jostle his mate he lifted up the covers to see what it was that was disturbing him. In disbelief he brought out a furry toy dog by the name of Inushasta, now how the hell had she managed to smuggle him into their bed?

She was still a child after all, but he loved that about her just as he loved everything else. He rested the toy in between them and wrapped both arms around her once more. He was about to drop off when he heard her speak, "I love you Sesshoumaru," and the words were so honest and sincere he felt the heart she had awakened inside of him clench almost painfully. "A miko and a demon huh, whoever would have thought it?" Sesshoumaru certainly would not have thought it had you asked him a few years ago, it seemed preposterous.

"You have always been pure of heart, and I love you for that, more than you could ever know, I love you more than the world." He took a breath, "you have changed me for the better since meeting you, I have become stronger, understanding, compassionate, and the change is good, I have learnt love is strength, not a weakness. I did not even know I had a heart before you and now I think that I am purer of heart than most too. So do not think of us as Miko and Daiyoukai, but soul mates, a couple of pure hearts in the world."

"So do you think we, a couple of pure hearts will last forever?"

"More than forever, even in the next realm, I will always love you."

"Good, as long as we love each other, then I am happy, it is all I have ever wanted."


End file.
